[Asia Economy Reporter Jeong Dong-hoon] U.S. Secretary of State Tony Blinken will tour Asian and African countries, including Cambodia, next week to discuss current issues such as the North Korean situation.
The State Department announced on the 29th (local time) that Secretary Blinken will visit Cambodia, the Philippines, South Africa, and the Democratic Republic of the Congo from the 2nd to the 12th of next month.
Secretary Blinken plans to consecutively attend ministerial meetings such as the East Asia Summit and the ASEAN Regional Forum (ARF) held in Cambodia from the 3rd to the 5th, focusing on regional security issues.
Daniel Kritenbrink, Assistant Secretary for East Asian and Pacific Affairs, said in a briefing, "Secretary Blinken has no plans to meet with North Korean officials." Kritenbrink added, "We do not know who from North Korea will attend the meetings," and explained, "Secretary Blinken will speak directly about the situation in North Korea."
The ARF is the only regional security consultative body attended by North Korea, with participation from 27 countries including South Korea, the United States, the 10 ASEAN countries, China, Japan, and the European Union (EU).
Due to the impact of COVID-19, this meeting will be held in person for the first time in three years since 2019, and the North Korean nuclear issue is expected to be a major agenda item. Foreign Minister Park Jin will also attend this meeting to discuss response measures to provocations such as North Korea's successive missile launches and trends regarding the 7th nuclear test.
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