South Korea’s Chief Diplomat Calls for Enhanced Engagement with the US During Meeting with Mission Leaders
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Seoul, Dec 23 (NationPress) South Korea's Foreign Minister Cho Tae-yul convened a video conference on Monday with the heads of South Korea's diplomatic missions in the United States, stressing the importance of bolstering outreach to the host nation, according to the foreign ministry.
Ambassador Cho Hyun-dong and the consul generals from New York, Los Angeles, Boston, Seattle, Chicago, San Francisco, Atlanta, Honolulu, and Houston participated in the meeting, which took place amid apprehensions regarding a potential leadership void in diplomacy following the National Assembly's impeachment of President Yoon Suk Yeol earlier this month, as reported by Yonhap news agency.
Cho commended the mission leaders for their outreach initiatives across various sectors in the US aimed at effectively managing bilateral relations and urged them to intensify these efforts, the ministry noted.
He also highlighted the necessity to mobilize all available resources to meet diplomatic demands and fulfill public expectations.
The meeting also addressed strategies for tackling significant issues in the US and methods for collaboration with Congress, state governments, and state assemblies, in addition to academic and economic communities, as noted by the ministry.
A senior diplomat is scheduled to visit the US and Japan this week to discuss cooperation among the three nations and matters related to North Korea, as stated by Seoul's foreign ministry on Sunday.
Earlier, the ministry announced that first Vice Foreign Minister Kim Hong-kyun will embark on a five-day trip, initially traveling to Washington for discussions with his US counterpart regarding bilateral relations and trilateral cooperation with Japan, along with North Korea issues.
This trip follows the impeachment of President Yoon Suk Yeol on December 14 due to his brief imposition of martial law, which has sparked concerns over Seoul's policy coordination with Washington and Tokyo, particularly with the incoming US administration of Donald Trump, set to assume office next month.
Under Yoon's leadership, South Korea has aimed to strengthen trilateral security cooperation with the US and Japan in light of evolving nuclear and missile threats from North Korea.
