Building on the strong people-to-people ties between South Korea and the United States is critical to further strengthening the alliance that has enabled not only peace and stability but also economic growth in the Indo-Pacific region over the past 70 years, a senior U.S. official said Tuesday.
Edgard Kagan, special assistant to the president and senior director for East Asia and Oceania of the National Security Council (NSC), also emphasized a state visit by South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol to the U.S. next week will lay the groundwork for building a strong alliance for the next 70 years.
"I think it's impossible, when you look at this relationship, (and when) you look at the last 70 years, not to recognize the extraordinary role of people-to-people ties," Kagan said in a Washington forum cohosted by the Wilson Center and the Korean Association of International Studies.
"I think for those of us in government when we list our things, we list things that matter as we are preparing for the state visit, preparing documents, often people-to-people is one of the last things on the list," he added. "But the truth is that when you look at this relationship, I genuinely believe that that was one of the core things that made the U.S.-ROK relationship work and be successful as it has been."
ROK stands for the Republic of Korea, South Korea's official name.
The South Korean president is set to make a state visit to the U.S. on Monday and hold a bilateral summit with President Joe Biden in Washington on Wednesday.
Kagan insisted the Korea-U.S. alliance, forged in the aftermath of the 1950-53 Korean War, has been instrumental to ensuring peace and stability, as well as economic growth not only in Korea but also in the entire Northeast Asian region.
"The reality is that the alliance has functioned extraordinarily well at doing what it was really designed to do, which was provide for peace and stability that then allowed the region to develop," he told the forum.
"And I think that that has been an extraordinary success. And the truth is, it's not just a success for the ROK ... but it's really had an incredible effect on the region," Kagan added.
The NSC official said President Biden is committed to building an even stronger relationship with South Korea.
"President Biden is totally committed to a strong relationship, a close relationship and a true partnership with the ROK," said Kagan.
"The administration recognizes both the strategic significance, but more broadly the incredible value to the United States of working closely with a country which is such an example of the things that we believe in," he added.
The bilateral summit between Presidents Biden and Yoon next week will highlight such efforts, he insisted.
"I think you will see a strong relationship between the leaders. I think you will see great alignment on the issues, and you will see expansion of things that we are doing in a variety of areas," he said of the upcoming summit.
"And I think that you will see the fact that we are building for another 70 years a relationship that's based on common values, shared interests, and respect for the history and shared sacrifices that brought us to where we are," he added.
Source: Yonhap News Agency