South Korea can pursue phone talks or in-person engagement between acting President Han Duck-soo and US President-elect Donald Trump if Trump wants, a senior Seoul official said Monday, vowing to ensure sufficient communication with the incoming US administration.
The official made the remarks amid concerns that in the absence of a fully elected president in Seoul, South Korea might face difficulties in policy coordination with the second Trump administration, which is set to take office Jan. 20.
Han took over as acting president immediately after the National Assembly voted to impeach President Yoon Suk Yeol over his botched martial law attempt earlier this month, suspending him from presidential duties until the Constitutional Court decides whether to reinstate or unseat him from office.
"If President-elect Trump wants, there can be a phone call or an in-person contact between the acting president and the (US) president-elect," the official told reporters on condition of anonymity. "But at the moment, nothing has been decided."
He also underscored Seoul's ongoing efforts to ensure close communication with the incoming US government.
"Before the launch of the Trump administration on Jan. 20, we will continue communicating with Trump figures, and after that, we will seek contact at a foreign ministerial level or to that effect," he said.
"Through this, we will make sure that there is not any lack of attention to or any insufficiency in terms of communication with the incoming US government."
The official stressed the Seoul government has been trying to leverage "all available resources," including cooperation with the private and corporate sectors, to expand engagement with the incoming US administration.
"Before the US presidential election, we communicated with Trump's side. As we have established a consultation mechanism and line of communication (with the Trump team), we were able to arrange a call (between Yoon and Trump) relatively earlier than other countries," he said.
"Though (the political turmoil) has affected communication channels to some extent, we have been resuming them through the embassy in Washington." (Yonhap)
