US Secretary of State Antony Blinken will travel to South Korea for talks next week, the two nations announced on Friday ( Jan 3 ), with Seoul in political turmoil as its impeached president resists arrest.
Blinken, on what will possibly be his last foreign journey before president-elect Donald Trump’s gain, may also visit Japan and France, the US State Department said.
South Korea is a significant security alliance for Washington, but Yoon Suk Yeol’s failed military laws decree on December 3 sparked a crisis there.
Blinken will satisfy his rival Cho Tae-yul on Monday, Seoul’s foreign department said in a statement.
” They are expected to discuss the South Korea-US empire, South Korea-US-Japan cooperation, North Korea troubles, and regional and global difficulties”, the department said.
Blinken will talk about “ways our two countries can build on our critical cooperation on problems around the world based on our shared principles,” according to a statement from the State Department that made no direct mention of the social conflict.
Political security guards thwarted their attempts to enact a warrant for Yoon’s arrest on Friday, but they were unsuccessful.
The same day Blinken plans to meet Cho, the permit expires on Monday.
Washington declared last month that it would” speak out” to South Korea to defend democracy following Yoon’s bungled declaration.
National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan stated that” South Korea’s politics is strong and resilient, and we’re going to continue to speak up and talk privately with Southern Vietnamese counterparts to emphasize the necessity of that.”
Yoon is still in power as South Korea’s leader, but he will be suspended while the constitutional jury decides whether to remove him.
Choi Sang-mok, the government’s acting president, has only been in business for a week.
Blinken will follow South Korea to Japan, a key US alliance there, where he will “review the incredible progress the US-Japan alliance has made over the past few years,” according to the State Department.
That includes a significant arms sales authorization that the US will grant to Japan on Friday in exchange for some US$ 3.64 billion in medium-range missiles, relevant products, and education.
China has made numerous complaints about the possible sales, claiming that it will have an impact on regional stability and security, claims that both Japan and the US reject.
Blinken’s visit was made public the same day that President Joe Biden slammed a US$ 14 billion deal that Nippon Steel struck to buy US Steel, bowing to union problems.
Blinken will travel to France on Wednesday to talk about the Middle East problems and the conflict in Ukraine.
Over his four-year name, Biden has sought to emphasise the importance of US relationships, in contrast to Trump’s repeated condemnation of US lovers he perceives as badly depending on Washington. Agency