▲ First Vice Foreign Minister Park Yoon-joo (R) poses for a photo with U.S. Rep. Young Kim (R-CA), who chairs the subcommittee on East Asia and Pacific affairs under the House Foreign Affairs Committee, during their meeting in Washington, D.C., on May 21, 2026, in this photo provided by Seoul's foreign ministry. (PHOTO NOT FOR SALE) (Yonhap)
▲ First Vice Foreign Minister Park Yoon-joo (R) shakes hands with John Walters, the president of the Hudson Institute, during their meeting in Washington, D.C., on May 18, 2026, in this photo provided by Seoul's foreign ministry. (PHOTO NOT FOR SALE) (Yonhap)

vice FM-US lawmaker

Vice FM meets U.S. lawmaker, policy expert to discuss alliance, joint fact sheet

SEOUL, May 22 (Yonhap) -- South Korea's First Vice Foreign Minister Park Yoon-joo has met with a U.S. lawmaker and the head of a major think tank in Washington, and exchanged views on the bilateral alliance and situations on the Korean Peninsula, Seoul's foreign ministry said Friday.

During his four-day visit to Washington from Monday, Park held separate talks with Rep. Young Kim (R-CA), chair of the House Foreign Affairs subcommittee on East Asia and the Pacific, on Thursday, and John Walters, president of the Hudson Institute, on Monday, according to the ministry.

During the meetings, Park said the two countries are closely cooperating to maximize their shared interests and prosperity through high-level exchanges, and the "faithful and swift" implementation of the joint fact sheet issued in November following last year's summit between President Lee Jae Myung and U.S. President Donald Trump.

Park also noted that South Korea has been working toward the swift implementation of the two countries' agreement on US$350 billion in investments in the United States.

He called for strong interest and support from the U.S. Congress and policy circles to ensure the prompt implementation of bilateral agreements in the security sector, including the peaceful use of nuclear energy, nuclear-powered submarines and shipbuilding, which he said "would elevate the two countries' strategic cooperation to a new level."

Walters stressed the importance of deepening strategic cooperation with reliable allies, such as South Korea, amid rapidly changing global circumstances, adding that his institute will continue supporting efforts for the swift and smooth implementation of the joint fact sheet and for future-oriented bilateral cooperation, according to the ministry.

Kim noted that the bilateral alliance has expanded beyond security into the economic, technological and strategic sectors, and called for continued close communication to implement the agreements contained in the joint fact sheet, it added.

While in Washington, Park held talks with Allison Hooker, U.S. under secretary of state for political affairs, where they announced that Hooker will lead a U.S. interagency delegation to Seoul in the coming weeks to launch bilateral working groups on implementing the fact sheet in the security domain.

On Wednesday, Park held separate meetings with U.S. Under Secretary of Defense Elbridge Colby and Deputy Secretary of State Christopher Landau, and discussed a range of issues of mutual interests, the ministry said.

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