US and Japan Foreign Ministers Visit South Korea in Succession... Challenge to Maintain 'Diplomatic Trustworthiness'

Alliance and Ally Foreign Ministers' Consecutive Visits to Korea Confirm 'Support'
Impeachment Turmoil Does Not Align with US-Japan National Interests

The top diplomatic leaders of the United States and Japan are successively visiting Korea. They face the task of reaffirming the trust of an ally damaged by the emergency martial law situation and demonstrating that Korea's diplomacy is functioning normally even amid the impeachment political turmoil.

On the 6th, Foreign Minister Cho Tae-yeol and U.S. Secretary of State Tony Blinken will hold a luncheon meeting at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs building in Jongno-gu, Seoul, to discuss bilateral issues. Topics such as the Korea-U.S. alliance, trilateral cooperation among Korea, the U.S., and Japan, and North Korean developments are expected to be on the agenda. The results of the talks will be announced at a joint press conference later that afternoon. Secretary Blinken is also expected to pay a courtesy call on Choi Sang-mok, Acting Prime Minister and Deputy Prime Minister as well as Minister of Strategy and Finance.

Foreign Minister Cho Tae-yeol held a foreign ministers' meeting with U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken in Lima, Peru, last November on the occasion of the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) Ministerial Meeting. Photo by Yonhap News

In diplomatic circles, this meeting is anticipated to serve as an opportunity to reaffirm the unwavering policy of strengthening the Korea-U.S. alliance. The U.S. side is expected to emphasize the need to carry forward the achievements of enhanced Korea-U.S. alliance and Korea-U.S.-Japan security cooperation made during the Biden administration into the Trump administration as well. This can also be seen as a consideration of "legacy management" as President Joe Biden's term nears its end.

The Japanese foreign minister, another key figure in the Korea-U.S.-Japan trilateral cooperation, is scheduled to visit Korea on the 13th. Foreign Minister Iwaya Takeshi is expected to meet with Minister Cho Tae-yeol and stress that the improvement trend in Korea-Japan relations should continue regardless of Korea's turbulent political situation. As this year marks the 60th anniversary of the normalization of diplomatic relations between Korea and Japan, discussions on ways to develop the relationship and to carry out various commemorative projects will also be necessary.

The scene of the diplomatic heads of Korea’s closest allies and partners visiting the Korean Peninsula amid the impeachment political turmoil is evaluated as helpful in restoring Korea’s diplomatic credibility, which was damaged by the emergency martial law situation. It shows that the support of allied countries remains unchanged even when the president and the acting prime minister have been successively impeached.

Currently, the consensus is that the stability of Korea aligns with the national interests of both the U.S. and Japan. However, there are concerns that Korea’s crisis will become more visible starting from the second term of the Trump administration. President-elect Donald Trump is known to be passive toward multilateral cooperation, and under the current circumstances, Korea, where summit diplomacy is virtually impossible, would be placed at a disadvantage.

Meanwhile, Korea, China, and Japan are reportedly coordinating to hold a trilateral foreign ministers’ meeting in Japan as early as next month. This issue is also expected to be discussed when Foreign Minister Iwaya visits Korea next week.