(LEAD) Yoon meets with Blinken over lunch at presidential residence

▲ U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken attends talks with South Korean Foreign Minister Park Jin (not pictured) at the foreign ministry building in Seoul on Nov. 9, 2023. (Pool photo) (Yonhap)

(LEAD) Yoon-Blinken

(LEAD) Yoon meets with Blinken over lunch at presidential residence

(ATTN: UPDATES with State Department's release in paras 7-12)

By Lee Haye-ah and Song Sang-ho

SEOUL/WASHINGTON, Nov. 9 (Yonhap) -- President Yoon Suk Yeol invited U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken to a luncheon at his residence Thursday, as the top U.S. diplomat was in Seoul for talks with his counterpart.

Blinken arrived in Seoul late Wednesday and held talks with Foreign Minister Park Jin on North Korea, the alliance, and other regional and global issues.

"Over the last year, the global comprehensive strategic alliance between South Korea and the United States has been firmly established," Yoon said during the luncheon, crediting Blinken with playing a "large role," according to senior presidential secretary for press affairs Kim Eun-hye.

"Now is a time when U.S. leadership is becoming increasingly important due to instability in the Middle East, together with the issue of North Korea and its nuclear program, and the war in Ukraine," he said. "As an ally of the United States, South Korea will work closely with the United States to defend core values and strengthen the rules-based international order."

Blinken responded that U.S. foreign policy remains focused on the Indo-Pacific region, and Washington intends to further strengthen its alliance and strategic partnership with Seoul.

He also expressed his respect for Yoon's leadership for enabling new progress in the South Korea-Japan relationship and in the trilateral relationship among South Korea, the U.S. and Japan.

In a separate statement, Matthew Miller, the spokesperson for the State Department, said Yoon and Blinken discussed the "vital role" of the bilateral alliance in preserving peace and stability on the Korean Peninsula, throughout the Indo-Pacific and around the world.

They shared concerns about the North's provocations in the region and "strongly" condemned its provision of military equipment and munitions to Russia for use in the war in Ukraine, according to Miller.

"They committed to continuing close cooperation on extended deterrence," he said, referring to the U.S.' commitment to using the full range of its military capabilities, including nuclear, to defend its ally.

"The secretary applauded President Yoon for his work strengthening ROK-Japan ties and reemphasized the importance of U.S.-ROK-Japan trilateral cooperation in advancing an affirmative vision for the region," he added. ROK stands for South Korea's official name, the Republic of Korea.

Blinken also thanked Yoon for Seoul's pledge to provide humanitarian assistance to the people of Gaza and reaffirmed America's "ironclad" defense commitment to South Korea, Miller said.

The secretary also met with National Security Advisor Cho Tae-yong for talks on global challenges, including instability in the Middle East, Miller said.

(END)

(C) Yonhap News Agency. All Rights Reserved