김은정
| 2022-08-26 15:27:12
S Korea-US-talks
Top U.S. diplomat for East Asia policy holds talks with Seoul officials on trade, alliance
By Kim Eun-jung
SEOUL, Aug. 26 (Yonhap) -- The top U.S. diplomat for East Asia policy held talks with his South Korean counterpart in Seoul on Friday, with their wide-ranging agenda including North Korea policy, trade and the bilateral alliance.
The talks between Daniel Kritenbrink, the assistant secretary of state for East Asian and Pacific affairs, and his South Korean counterpart, Yeo Seung-bae, was the first in a series of meetings he is set to have in Seoul.
During the back-to-back meetings, Kritenbrink and Seoul officials are expected to discuss South Korean businesses' concerns about the Inflation Reduction Act that gives tax incentives only for electric vehicles built in North America and other pending issues.
"(I) look forward to talking about (the act) after we've had the chance to hold those consultations," he told reporters before the meeting with Yeo.
Other issues on the agenda were expected to include policy coordination on North Korea and ongoing efforts by Seoul and Tokyo to tackle colonial-era issues that have hampered Washington's push to promote three-way security cooperation with the Asian allies.
The U.S. diplomat's visit here came at a time when Seoul and Washington have been carrying out their largest annual military drills in years since Monday amid concerns that Pyongyang could react to them by engaging in provocative acts.
Later, Kritenbrink also plans to pay courtesy calls on Foreign Minister Park Jin and Second Vice Foreign Minister Lee Do-hoon.
The U.S. official arrived in Seoul on Thursday on the second and last leg of his six-day regional trip that also took him to Mongolia. He is to leave Saturday morning.
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