Choi Jong Geon “Aim to promote the Korea-US ‘Alliance Dialogue’ in mid-October”

Choi Jong-Geon, First Deputy Foreign Minister at the Foreign Ministry, dismissed the disagreement with the United States on the 12th, saying the goal is to hold the first meeting in mid-October on the establishment of an “ Alliance Dialogue ( Provisional Name) ”, a director-level working-level consultation between the Republic of Korea and U.S. diplomatic authorities.

After visiting the United States, Vice Minister Choi, who returned to Korea, met with reporters at Incheon International Airport Terminal 2 on the same day and said, “The Minister of Veganism and the United States expressed their positive sympathy.” “In mid-October, through a consultation process to promote a new organization soon. The goal is to promote it.”

Earlier on the 9th (local time), Vice Minister Choi agreed to establish a new “ Alliance Dialogue ”, a working-level consultation at the director level, between Vegan and diplomatic authorities in Washington, USA, And he decided to constantly collaborate on various topics of the alliance through consultation channels.

However, the US State Department said in a press release that, without mentioning the establishment of the new alliance between the ROK and the US, “For centuries to come, we have discussed ways to strengthen the ROK-US alliance for peace and prosperity in the Indo-Pacific region. ” Subsequently, a media outlet cited sources in the relations between the Republic of Korea and the United States and reported that “the United States never agreed to a new dialogue,” and there was a stir over whether the two countries agreed to establish an alliance dialogue. In response, Vice Minister Choi explained that in the press release, he may have contained that the two countries wanted to emphasize, and that the press release was prepared after consulting with the United States before and after the meeting of diplomatic vice ministers. In addition, the controversy evolved, saying that it is not that the positions are different. Vice Minister Choi explained that he would address important and non-political issues regardless of the political calendar of the two countries through the Director-level Working Group. In addition to dealing with all North and North Korean nuclear power issues such as inter-Korean cooperation, the US-Korea Working Group currently operating between the United States and the ROK is expected to discuss quickly topics such as the return of the bases of the USFK in the dialogue of the alliance.

Regarding whether or not to discuss the current issue of the conflict between the United States and China, the United States explained to the United States that “the relationship between Korea and the United States is an alliance, so it is fundamental, but Korea is still close to China. , and that it is strategically, economically and socially close “. He said he did not say that he was forced to make this decision.