South Korea’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs announced on the 3rd that a bilateral foreign ministers' meeting between South Korea and the United States will be held in Seoul on the morning of January 6th.

Foreign Minister Cho Tae Yong and U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken will convene at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs building to discuss the South Korea-U.S. alliance, trilateral cooperation with Japan, North Korea issues, and regional and global challenges. Secretary Blinken is expected to arrive in South Korea on the 5th.

This visit is considered a 'farewell trip' as it precedes the inauguration of the Donald Trump administration on January 20th. It marks Blinken's first visit to South Korea in approximately 10 months, since his participation in the Third Summit for Democracy in March of last year.

The meeting is expected to review the achievements in strengthening the South Korea-U.S. alliance and trilateral cooperation with Japan under the Biden administration and to emphasize the importance of continuing these efforts under the incoming Trump administration. North Korea's increasing involvement in the Ukraine war is also anticipated to be a significant topic of discussion.

Plans are reportedly underway for Secretary Blinken to meet with Acting President Choi Sang Mok, who is also serving as Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Economy and Finance. This will be the first visit by a senior U.S. official to South Korea since the 'December 3 Martial Law' incident last year.

The meeting is seen as an opportunity for the U.S. to reaffirm its support for the alliance amid South Korea’s political uncertainty stemming from the martial law incident and subsequent impeachment process. It is also expected to demonstrate to both domestic and international audiences that South Korea’s diplomatic operations are functioning normally despite the turbulent political climate.

Notably, the two foreign ministers previously held phone discussions twice (on December 6 and 21 of last year) following the martial law incident, reaffirming the resilience of the South Korea-U.S. alliance.

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