President Yoon Suk Yeol said Tuesday the South Korea-US alliance is strong enough to bounce back from any conflict of interest or trouble, according to his spokesperson.
Yoon made the remark during a Cabinet meeting held days before he travels to Washington for a state visit and a summit with US President Joe Biden on April 26.
"The president said the South Korea-US alliance is not a relationship that meets and parts according to one's interests, but an alliance rooted in the universal values of a liberal democracy and market economy," presidential spokesperson Lee Do-woon said during a press briefing.
"South Korea and the United States are a resilient value-based alliance that can fully readjust even when their interests are in conflict or when there is trouble," Yoon was quoted as saying.
When asked whether the president was referring to the recent controversy over allegations the US eavesdropped on South Korea's presidential office, a presidential official evaded a direct answer.
"Brothers can fight for various reasons, but just because they argue, isn't it so that they are not considered no longer brothers or no longer family?" the official said.
"In an alliance, not all interests can be the same ... but if they can overcome differences of opinion through dialogue and negotiation, based on trust, it can be resolved within that framework, and the South Korea-US alliance is precisely such an alliance," the official added.
Yoon's visit to Washington comes as the countries mark 70 years since the establishment of their alliance.
During the trip, Yoon will confer the Order of Military Merit on three American veterans of the 1950-53 Korean War, according to a government official.
"Veterans issues will be one of the core keywords of this state visit," a presidential official said. (Yonhap)
