▲ In this photo, provided by the South Korean Embassy in the U.S. shows then South Korean First Vice Foreign Minister Cho Hyun-dong (R), currently serving as ambassador to the U.S., posing for a photo with U.S. Deputy Secretary of State Wendy Sherman (C) and Japanese Vice Foreign Minister Takeo Mori during their talks at the U.S. Department of State in Washington on Feb. 13, 2023. (PHOTO NOT FOR SALE) (Yonhap)

Wendy Sherman-retirement

Blinken says retiring deputy secretary Sherman helped deepen U.S. relations with key allies, including Korea

By Byun Duk-kun

WASHINGTON, May 12 (Yonhap) -- The top U.S. diplomat expressed his gratitude to outgoing Deputy Secretary of State Wendy Sherman on Friday, also praising the first female deputy secretary of state for having deepened U.S. relations with key allies including South Korea and Japan.

Secretary of State Antony Blinken also noted Sherman had broken barriers at the department as the first female deputy secretary.

"Wendy has helped lead our engagement in the Indo-Pacific, the region where the history of the 21st century will be written," Blinken said in a released statement.

"She has deepened our bonds with our friends around the world, especially with the Republic of Korea, Japan, and the European Union," he added, referring to South Korea by its official name.

Sherman's departure comes about two weeks after South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol made a state visit to the U.S.

During his six-day trip here, Yoon and U.S. President Joe Biden reached a historic agreement, dubbed the Washington Declaration, to increase the visibility of U.S. strategic assets in and around the Korean Peninsula, which they said will effectively upgrade the countries' 70-year-old Mutual Defense Treaty.

"Wendy broke barriers as our first female under secretary of state for political affairs and our first female deputy secretary of state," Blinken said of Sherman.

"Her remarkable career -- which spans more than three decades, three presidents, and five secretaries of state -- addressed some of the toughest foreign policy challenges of our time. Our nation is safer and more secure, and our partnerships more robust, due to her leadership," he added.

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