US State Department adviser visits S. Korea for talks on alliance, N. Korea

A key aide to US Secretary of State Antony Blinken met Tuesday with a South Korean foreign ministry official for discussions on the bilateral alliance and other issues.

State Department Counselor Derek Chollet tweeted that he had a meeting with Yeo Seung-bae, deputy minister for political affairs, in Seoul.

"We spoke about the US-ROK Alliance and our joint efforts on regional and global issues. I appreciate the ROK's partnership on Burma," Chollet wrote, using the acronym for South Korea's official name, the Republic of Korea. He stopped short of providing details.

In a Twitter message posted hours earlier, he wrote, "It's great to be in Seoul! The US-ROK Alliance is the linchpin of peace, security, and prosperity in the Indo-Pacific and our nations are working closer than ever on a range of global issues."

It followed his department's announcement that he would make a two-day trip to South Korea from Monday for consultations on the alliance as well as regional and global affairs, including North Korea and Myanmar, which Washington calls Burma.

Serving at the rank of under secretary as a senior policy adviser to Blinken, he is tasked with conducting "special diplomatic assignments" as directed by the secretary, according to the department. (Yonhap)