Seoul/Washington, Jan 5 (IANS) Outgoing South Korean Foreign Minister Park Jin highlighted the alliance with the US that has further strengthened over the past months in phone talks with US Secretary of State Antony Blinken on Friday, Park’s office said on Friday.
Park said the South Korea-US alliance will play a “greater role” at a time of a “polycrisis,” expressing expectation that Blinken will also work closely with his new South Korean counterpart to develop the strategic bilateral alliance even further, his office added.
Blinken expressed appreciation for Park’s efforts and leadership during his term in office, according to Park’s office.
During the phone talks, Park and Blinken also shared assessments on the latest development in the suspected arms transactions between North Korea and Russia, Yonhap news agency reported.
They expressed concern over the military cooperation between Pyongyang and Moscow, as well as the North Korea’s continued nuclear and missile development, stressing all UN members should abide by the UN Security Council resolutions against North Korea.
In a separate statement, State Department spokesperson Matthew Miller said Blinken thanked the outgoing Foreign Minister for his endeavours to address “security challenges on the Korean Peninsula, in the Indo-Pacific region and around the world”.
Park is set to leave office later this month following a Cabinet reshuffle.
“As events celebrating the 70th anniversary of the US-South Korea Alliance conclude, Secretary Blinken and Foreign Minister Park further reemphasised the importance of the alliance and a shared commitment to deepening our nations’ ties,” Miller said in a statement.
South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol tapped Cho Tae-yul, former ambassador to the United Nations, as his pick for the new Foreign Minister.
–IANS
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