Acting President Han Expresses Hope for Expansion and Strengthening of ROK-U.S. Alliance
Prime Minister Han Duck-soo, Acting President of the Republic of Korea, held a phone call with U.S. President Donald Trump on the 8th and said, "We hope that the ROK-U.S. alliance, which is the foundation of our diplomacy and security, will be further expanded and strengthened under the new U.S. administration."
The Prime Minister's Office announced that Acting President Han spoke with President Trump for about 30 minutes starting around 9 p.m. that day, discussing the strengthening of the ROK-U.S. alliance, economic cooperation including trade balance, and the North Korean nuclear issue. This call with President Trump was the first communication between the heads of state of the two countries since the inauguration of the new U.S. administration.
The call between the two leaders took place 78 days after President Trump's inauguration on January 20 (U.S. local time).
Shortly after his election, President Trump had a 12-minute phone call with former President Yoon Seok-youl on November 7 last year, discussing ROK-U.S.-Japan cooperation, the ROK-U.S. alliance, and North Korea's situation regarding the Ukraine war. The two leaders agreed to meet soon, but the emergency martial law situation on December 3 and the impeachment proceedings against former President Yoon delayed contact between the two heads of state.
During the call, Acting President Han evaluated President Trump's overwhelming election victory and his leadership in realizing the vision of "Make America Great Again," and expressed gratitude for the White House's statement of cooperation with the Korean government under the acting president system.
The Prime Minister's Office stated that both sides reaffirmed their clear commitment to the ROK-U.S. military alliance and exchanged views on directions for its continuous development.
Acting President Han emphasized a higher level of cooperation with the U.S. side in three major areas: shipbuilding, liquefied natural gas (LNG), and trade balance. Both sides agreed to continue constructive ministerial-level consultations in economic cooperation, including trade balance, to find mutually beneficial solutions.
He also said, "In the face of escalating security threats such as North Korea's advancement of nuclear and missile capabilities, we hope to cooperate so that the will of the ROK, the U.S., and the international community for North Korea's denuclearization is clearly recognized as much stronger than North Korea's intention to possess nuclear weapons."
Both sides agreed to continue close cooperation on North Korea policy going forward. They also shared the view that ROK-U.S.-Japan cooperation is important for peace, stability, and prosperity in the region and agreed to continue developing trilateral cooperation.
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