Foreign ministerial meeting highly likely to occur before Biden’s term ends
South Korea and the United States have agreed to bring their diplomatic and security agenda back on course after disruptions caused by President Yoon Suk Yeol's Dec. 3 martial law declaration, the Foreign Ministry in Seoul said Tuesday.
The agreement followed a meeting in Washington on Monday, local time, between South Korea’s First Vice Foreign Minister Kim Hong-kyun and US Deputy Secretary of State Kurt Campbell. Kim's trip marks the first by a senior Korean diplomat to the US since political turmoil erupted over Yoon’s martial law decree.
“Both vice ministers discussed plans for future high-level exchanges between South Korea and the US,” the Foreign Ministry said in a Korean-language statement. “They agreed to fully restore major diplomatic and security events that had been postponed, aiming to hold them at the earliest feasible and mutually convenient time.”
When asked whether the delayed meeting of the Nuclear Consultative Group would take place during the Biden administration's term, Campbell said “This is going to be one of the issues that we’re going to discuss today” during his remarks before the meeting.
“Our expectation is that the critical mechanisms in the US-ROK relationship will remain in place, and we believe that a meeting schedule is important,” Campbell added, referring to South Korea by its official name, the Republic of Korea.
Defense Ministry spokesperson Jeon Ha-kyu said during a press briefing on Tuesday that “the issue of the NCG is currently being closely coordinated between Korea and the United States to ensure its prompt convening,” though it remains uncertain whether it will take place before the end of the Biden administration.
Seoul and Washington have indefinitely postponed the fourth NCG meeting and the inaugural NCG Tabletop Exercise -- a discussion-based drill simulating nuclear and strategic responses to North Korea’s potential use of a nuclear weapon and other contingencies on the peninsula -- originally scheduled for Dec. 4 and 5.
The South Korean delegation, headed by Cho Chang-rae, the deputy defense minister for policy, had arrived in Washington for the meeting and TTX, but it was canceled at the last minute on Dec. 3.
Kim and Campbell also discussed North Korean issues, including potential provocations amid South Korea's political upheaval, during the meeting.
“Both vice ministers shared the view that there is a need to prepare for the possibility of North Korea miscalculating the current situation in Korea and carrying out various provocations,” the Foreign Ministry in Seoul said in the statement.
“They also agreed to intensify diplomatic efforts to block illicit military cooperation between Russia and North Korea, particularly at a juncture when the participation of North Korean troops in the war and their casualties have been confirmed.”
During the meeting, Kim also emphasized the importance of ensuring that the development of the alliance, as well as the close communication and coordination between the two countries for the complete denuclearization of North Korea, are effectively conveyed to the incoming Trump administration, with its inauguration less than a month away.
Kim called for Campbell’s special attention to this matter.
In response, Campbell said that he would relay Kim's points to the Trump administration to ensure the shared objectives between the allies can be achieved, according Seoul.
A senior South Korean government official on Monday also said that the Korean government is making efforts to “facilitate in-person engagements at various levels, including foreign ministers, as early as possible” following the inauguration of the second Trump administration.
The official, on condition of anonymity, emphasized that the Korean government, under Acting President Han Duck-soo, is open to engaging with President-elect Donald Trump, whether through a phone call or an in-person meeting.
“If President-elect Trump is willing, a phone call with acting President Han Duck-soo can be arranged, and an in-person meeting can also be facilitated,” the official said during a press briefing at the Korean Embassy in Washington.
The official also hinted that Seoul and Washington are working to schedule a foreign ministerial-level meeting before the end of the Biden administration.
“I am not certain whether it will take place in Korea or the US, but it is clear that higher-level (in-person) consultations beyond the vice foreign ministerial level will be held,” the official said.
