South Koreas Foreign Minister Optimistic About US Ambassadors Role in Resolving Bilateral Issues

Seoul, August 4: South Korea‘s Foreign Minister, Choi Hyun, expressed optimism on Monday regarding the role of the new US Ambassador, Michelle Steel, in addressing pending issues between South Korea and the United States. He believes that Steel will leverage her direct access to Washington to facilitate discussions on these matters.

In an interview with Yonhap News TV, Choi stated, “I hope there will be discussions at various levels regarding the outstanding issues between South Korea and the US. It is said that the ambassador has direct access to Washington, so I am hopeful that we can use this to resolve the difficult issues in our relationship.”

According to Yonhap News Agency, Steel arrived in South Korea on Thursday and has officially taken up her position, which had been vacant since January of last year.

Choi is scheduled to meet Steel in person on Tuesday when she will present her credentials to the Foreign Ministry.

Steel’s arrival comes at a crucial time, as several significant security and economic issues remain unresolved between Seoul and Washington. These include commitments related to South Korean investments in the US and tensions arising from regulatory actions against Coupang Inc., a company listed on the US stock market, following a major data leak.

Additionally, Choi mentioned that he is aware of Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi’s plans to visit South Korea “soon,” with discussions expected to revolve around his trip to North Korea in April.

Regarding the recent data leak at the Korea National Diplomatic Academy, which potentially exposed the personal information of nearly all South Korean diplomats, Choi indicated that the Foreign Ministry plans to take stringent measures, including the establishment of robust firewalls to prevent future hacking incidents.

Last month, South Korea’s Ambassador to the US, Kang Kyung-wha, urged Steel during their meeting to play a crucial role in elevating the alliance between the two countries to “new heights.” Their meeting took place on July 21, just before Steel’s departure for Seoul. She arrived on July 30 (Korean time), at a time when both nations faced several shared responsibilities, including the implementation of bilateral agreements on security, trade, and investment made last year.

–