South Korean Foreign Minister Cho Hyun on Tuesday stressed Seoul’s commitment to strengthening the Korea-US alliance and bilateral cooperation in a meeting with a delegation from the National Committee on American Foreign Policy.
During the dinner meeting in Seoul, Cho said both countries’ new administrations have moved quickly this year to strengthen the alliance, holding two summits that set the stage for building what the two sides describe as a “future-oriented strategic comprehensive alliance.”
He said Seoul plans to accelerate cooperation in key sectors, including nuclear energy, shipbuilding and nuclear-powered submarines, through close communication at all levels backed by the leaders’ shared vision.
Cho emphasized South Korea’s commitment to advancing the alliance in a more mutually beneficial and future-focused direction as global security and economic conditions shift. He also urged the NCAFP to continue its role in fostering understanding of the alliance’s importance in US policy circles, noting the organization’s longstanding efforts to support stronger bilateral ties.
According to Seoul’s Foreign Ministry, NCAFP members said that the organization will continue to support both governments’ efforts to deepen the alliance.
The NCAFP is a New York-based foreign policy think tank composed of US government and academic experts focused on advancing US diplomatic objectives. The delegation included NCAFP President and CEO Susan Elliott; Susan Thornton, director of the NCAFP’s Forum on Asia-Pacific Security; Raymond Burghardt, president of the Pacific Century Institute; Robert Rapson, former Charge d’Affaires ad interim at the US Embassy in Seoul; and Ryan Hass, director of the John L. Thornton China Center at the Brookings Institution.
cheesuk@heraldcorp.com
