South Korean foreign minister to visit Washington next week

South Korean Foreign Minister Park Jin will depart for the United States on Sunday to make his first trip there since taking office, his office said Friday.

According to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Park will meet with US Secretary of State Antony Blinken in Washington on Monday, which would be the first face-to-face meeting for the two since South Korea launched a new government in May.

“Minister Park is visiting Washington D.C. upon the invitation of the US Secretary of State Antony Blinken from June 12 to 15,” Choi Young-sam, the ministry’s spokesperson said in a regular press briefing.

In their bilateral talks, the two sides will discuss follow-up measures for the agreements made between South Korean President Yoon Suk-yeol and US President Joe Biden during their first summit in Seoul on May 21.

They are also expected to share their assessment of the current security situation on the Korean Peninsula and discuss ways to deter North Korea’s continued development of its nuclear program.

The ministry said it is currently coordinating on details of the four-day trip with the US, and that Park would meet with officials in various sectors.

Amid increasing nuclear provocations from North Korea, the two top officials are also expected to deliver messages expressing their opposition against these provocations to Pyongyang.

Intelligence authorities from Seoul and Washington assess that Pyongyang has finished preparations for a nuclear test, and may carry out what would be its seventh test soon.

In May, Park and Blinken held their first talk over the phone, where they forged their mutual commitment to cooperation on a wide range of issues, including increasing missile provocations from North Korea.

By Jo He-rim (herim@heraldcorp.com)