US-Korea Policy Consultation Team to Return at 6 PM Today... Yoon President-Elect Report Timing Undecided

Met with various grassroots figures during 7 nights and 8 days in the US
President Biden and Secretary Blinken not met

[Image source=Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy Reporter Yoo Byung-don] The 'Korea-US Policy Consultation Delegation' dispatched by President-elect Yoon Seok-yeol to the United States is concluding its visit and will return at 6 p.m. on the 11th.

An official from the Presidential Transition Committee stated, "The Korea-US Policy Consultation Delegation is completing its one-week visit to the U.S. and will arrive at Incheon International Airport at 6 p.m. today," adding, "The results of the consultations will be announced by Delegation Head Park Jin at a press conference after the report is made to the President-elect."

The official added, "However, since the President-elect is away on a regional schedule, there is a possibility that the report itself will be delayed."

The delegation arrived in the U.S. on the 3rd and, over seven nights and eight days, conducted more than 20 official engagements including meetings with the U.S. administration, Congress, and think tank officials, explaining the new government's plans and exchanging views on various issues.

This is the first time President-elect Yoon has sent a delegation to another country. The first foreign leader he spoke with after his election was U.S. President Joe Biden.

The delegation met with key White House officials such as National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan and Indo-Pacific Coordinator Kurt Campbell, delivering a letter from President-elect Yoon to President Biden.

At the State Department, they met with Deputy Secretary Wendy Sherman, Assistant Secretary for East Asian and Pacific Affairs Daniel Kritenbrink, Special Representative for North Korea Sung Kim, and at the Department of Defense, Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin.

Regarding Congress, they met with key figures mainly from the Foreign Affairs and Armed Services Committees dealing with Korean Peninsula issues, as well as members of the Korea Caucus in both the Senate and the House of Representatives.

However, meetings with U.S. President Joe Biden and Secretary of State Antony Blinken did not materialize.

Regarding this, Democratic Party lawmaker Woo Sang-ho criticized, "Considering South Korea's international standing, this is an absurd diplomatic fiasco," adding, "If the schedule was coordinated and then rejected, it is a serious diplomatic issue; if the coordination was poor and they went to try to squeeze in even five minutes locally, this reflects our side's immaturity."