Seoul: Vice Foreign Minister Park Yoon-Joo held talks with his U.S. counterpart, Allison Hooker, focusing on the modernization of the bilateral alliance, stronger economic cooperation, and North Korean nuclear issues, officials confirmed.
According to Yonhap News Agency, the strategic dialogue session between Park and Hooker, the U.S. undersecretary of state for political affairs, was held in anticipation of the upcoming Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) summit. This marked the first such vice foreign ministerial talks between the two nations since July 2021.
The U.S. Embassy in Seoul reported that the discussions emphasized the importance of modernizing the bilateral alliance and enhancing economic cooperation in areas such as shipbuilding, critical mineral supply chains, energy, and emerging technologies. Both sides also reaffirmed their commitment to deepening trilateral cooperation with Japan.
"They pledged to maintain a unified approach toward the DPRK's destabilizing actions, including through the shared commitment to the complete denuclearization of the DPRK," the embassy stated, referring to North Korea by its official name, the Democratic People's Republic of Korea.
Hooker described the Seoul-Washington alliance as "the linchpin of peace, security, and prosperity on the Korean Peninsula and across the Indo-Pacific." She reaffirmed the U.S.' commitment to strengthening the relationship "through a strong combined defense posture and the continued assurance of U.S. extended deterrence" to South Korea.
The meeting took place ahead of the APEC summit scheduled for Oct. 31-Nov. 1 in Gyeongju, where the leaders of the two nations are expected to hold discussions on the sidelines.
The U.S. has been advocating for the modernization of the long-standing alliance, aiming to expand Seoul's defense posture beyond the Korean Peninsula to counter China's threats. This includes readjusting the role and size of U.S. forces stationed in South Korea under the concept of "strategic flexibility."
There is growing speculation that U.S. President Donald Trump may visit South Korea for a day on Nov. 29 to meet with Chinese President Xi Jinping and depart Gyeongju without attending the APEC summit.