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| ▲ This AP photo shows U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken speaking during a presser after holding talks with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu in Tel Aviv on Oct. 17, 2023. (Yonhap) |
(LEAD) Blinken-S Korea visit
(LEAD) Blinken to visit S. Korea next week for 1st time since Yoon came into office
(ATTN: RECASTS headline, lead; ADDS more details throughout)
By Kim Seung-yeon
SEOUL, Nov. 1 (Yonhap) -- U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken will visit South Korea next week to discuss the alliance, North Korea and other issues, the foreign ministry said Wednesday, his first trip to Seoul since the government of President Yoon Suk Yeol came into office.
Blinken will begin a two-day trip to Seoul on Wednesday after attending a Group of Seven (G7) foreign ministers' meeting in Tokyo. The trip comes ahead of a highly anticipated summit between U.S. President Joe Biden and Chinese President Xi Jinping.
Blinken will hold bilateral talks with his South Korean counterpart, Foreign Minister Park Jin, for "broad discussions on the bilateral alliance, North Korean issues, economic security and advanced technologies, as well as regional and global issues," the ministry said in a press release.
It will mark his first trip to South Korea since the launch of the Yoon government in May 2022.
Blinken's visit comes at a time when the possibility is growing of a summit between Biden and Xi on the fringes of a summit of the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation forum, set to take place in San Francisco later this month.
Blinken could use his trip to Seoul to coordinate with South Korean officials on pressing issues such as the growing military ties between Pyongyang and Moscow, the Israel-Hamas conflict and Russia's war in Ukraine.
Concerns have mounted after the U.S. revealed in October that the North had provided a large amount of military equipment and munitions to Russia for use in its war against Ukraine.
South Korea, the U.S. and Japan condemned the arms transfers in a joint statement last week, confirming some of the weapon deliveries.
China-related issues are expected to be addressed, with regard to the reported forced repatriation of North Korean defectors last month.
The escalating war between Israel and the Hamas militant group is also expected to be high on the agenda, amid reports alleging that North Korean weapons have been used by Hamas, a claim rejected by Pyongyang as groundless.
Concerns are growing that the Middle East conflict and the Russia-Ukraine war could affect Washington's efforts to focus on security in the Indo-Pacific region.
Blinken's visit could serve as an occasion to reaffirm the bilateral alliance, in light of the U.S. commitment to providing "extended deterrence" to South Korea against the North's evolving nuclear and missile threats.
Extended deterrence refers to the U.S.' commitment to mobilizing the full range of its military capabilities, including nuclear, to defend its allies.
North Korea had said it plans to test-launch a military spy satellite in October after two unsuccessful attempts in May and August, although such a launch has not taken place yet.
Blinken last visited Seoul in March 2021 for the "two plus two" meeting of the two countries' foreign and defense ministers.
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