Blinken will travel to South Korea to monitor the political situation.
Blinken will travel to South Korea to monitor the political situation.
SEOUL: with Seoul embroiled in political unrest as its ousted president eludes arrest, the two nations announced Friday, January 3, that U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken will travel to South Korea for negotiations the following week. According to the US State Department, Blinken will also travel to Japan and France on what is expected to be his final foreign trip before President-elect Donald Trump returns.
President Yoon Suk Year's unsuccessful martial emergency proclamation on December 3 has caused a crisis in South Korea, a crucial security ally of Washington. On Monday, Blinken will meet with his counterpart Cho Tae-yul, according to a statement from Seoul's foreign ministry.
"They are expected to discuss the South Korea-US alliance, South Korea-US-Japan cooperation, North Korea issues, and regional and global challenges," said the ministry.
According to a statement from the State Department, Blinken would discuss "ways our two nations can build on our critical cooperation on challenges around the world based on our shared values" without specifically mentioning the political unrest.
On Friday, investigators looking into Yoon's martial law proclamation tried to execute an arrest warrant for him but were blocked by presidential security officers. Blinken is scheduled to meet Cho on Monday, the day the warrant expires.
Following Yoon's botched declaration, Washington warned last month it will "speak out" to South Korea to protect democracy. "South Korea's democracy is robust and resilient, and we're going to continue to speak out publicly and engage privately with South Korean counterparts to reinforce the importance of that continuing,"
Jake Sullivan, our national security advisor, said. Although Yoon is suspended until the constitutional court rules on his impeachment, he is still the current president of South Korea.
After just one week in office, Finance Minister Choi Sang-mok was sworn in as the nation's acting president. According to the State Department, Blinken will "review the tremendous progress the US-Japan alliance has made over the past few years" in Japan, another important US partner in Asia, after South Korea.
This includes a significant arms sales approval that was made public on Friday, which calls for the US to give Japan approximately US$3.64 billion worth of medium-range missiles, associated gear, and training.
Both Japan and the US deny China's repeated complaints about the possible sale, claiming it will impact regional stability and security.
Blindness visit was announced on the same day that President Joe Biden, in response to union concerns, blocked a US$14.9 billion proposal by Nippon Steel to purchase US Steel, thus destroying a priority for many in Japan.
Blinken is scheduled to travel to France on Wednesday, when he is anticipated to speak on the Middle East crisis and the conflict in Ukraine. Throughout his four years in office, Biden has made an effort to highlight the value of US partnerships, in contrast to Trump's frequent criticism of US allies whom he believes are unduly reliant on Washington.
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