Foreign Minister Blinken Calls US Full Of Leadership Acting President Of South Korea Choi Sang-mok

US Secretary of State Antony Blinken. (Twitter/@SecBlinken)

JAKARTA - Foreign Minister Antony Blinken reiterated the United States' confidence in President Choi Sang-mok's leadership and South Korean democracy, the Ministry of Finance said when the two met on Monday.

Foreign Minister Blinken visited when Ginseng Country faced domestic political turmoil, following President Yoon Suk-yeol's announcement of a military emergency on December 3, 2024, which resulted in his impeachment.

During a meeting in Seoul, Foreign Minister Blinken stressed Washington not only had full confidence in the resilience of Korean democracy but also in Choi's leadership.

"The 70-year alliance between Korea and the United States remains the cornerstone of peace and stability on the Korean Peninsula and in the Indo-Pacific region," the ministry quoted Foreign Minister Blinken as saying, quoted by The Korea Times January 6.

Choi, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Economy and Finance, took over the role of interim leadership after the National Assembly voted to impeach Yoon on December 14 and then charged Acting President and Prime Minister Han Duck-soo two weeks later.

Furthermore, Blinken praised the progress achieved through trilateral cooperation between Korea, the US and Japan, particularly after Camp David's historic summit in August 2023, where President Yoon met President Joe Biden and then Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida.

Foreign Minister Blinken expressed his anticipation of Washington, this achievement will be maintained and expanded further.

In response, Acting President Choi expressed his gratitude for Washington's support and trust in democracy and the Korean alliance.

He further noted that the visit of the country's highest diplomat was proof of the strength of the Korea-US alliance that was unshakable.

Foreign Minister Blinken's visit marked the first trip to Seoul by top US officials since Yoon's impeachment.

His talks with Acting President Cho marked the first high-level engagement between the two allies.

It is known that Foreign Minister Blinken arrived in Korea on Sunday night. Apart from Seoul, he is on a series of trips to Japan and France which will be held this week.