SEOUL: Speaker of the United States House of Representatives Nancy Pelosi and her South Korean counterpart vowed on Thursday to support efforts to maintain a strong deterrence against North Korea and achieve denuclearize.
A joint statement was issued after Pelosi met with South Korean National Assembly Speaker Kim Jin-pyo in Seoul, in which they expressed concern about North Korea’s nuclear development and missile threat.
“Both sides expressed concern about the dire situation over North Korea’s growing threat,” the statement said.
“We unanimously support the efforts of the two governments to achieve the practical goals of denuclearization and peace through international cooperation and diplomatic dialogue, based on strong and expansive deterrence,” he said. for North Korea.”
Pelosi also said at a news conference that she and Kim discussed ways to promote cooperation on regional security and economic and climate issues.
Pelosi arrived in South Korea late Wednesday after a brief stop in Taiwan, and met with US embassy officials in Seoul earlier on Thursday before holding talks with Kim and other lawmakers. .
Late on Thursday, Pelosi plans to visit the Joint Security Area near the heavily fortified inter-Korean border, patrolled by the US-led United Nations Command and jointly by North Korea, a South Korean official said. Quoc said.
She will be the highest-ranking US official to visit the region after former President Donald Trump, who met the North Korean leader. Kim Jong-un available in 2019.
President of Korea Yoon Suk-yeolwho is on a scheduled vacation this week, will not meet Pelosi but will speak with her by phone late Thursday, Yoon’s office said.
South Korean media speculated that Yoon may have avoided meeting Pelosi to avoid antagonizing China, after her visit to Taiwan sparked outrage in Beijing, which claims the self-governing island belongs to only me.
An official at Yoon’s office said they welcomed Pelosi and wished her a smooth travel, but did not comment on those reports.
“Our view during her visit to Taiwan is that we will continue to communicate closely with other countries based on the view that maintaining regional peace and stability through dialogue and cooperation is important,” the official told reporters.
A joint statement was issued after Pelosi met with South Korean National Assembly Speaker Kim Jin-pyo in Seoul, in which they expressed concern about North Korea’s nuclear development and missile threat.
“Both sides expressed concern about the dire situation over North Korea’s growing threat,” the statement said.
“We unanimously support the efforts of the two governments to achieve the practical goals of denuclearization and peace through international cooperation and diplomatic dialogue, based on strong and expansive deterrence,” he said. for North Korea.”
Pelosi also said at a news conference that she and Kim discussed ways to promote cooperation on regional security and economic and climate issues.
Pelosi arrived in South Korea late Wednesday after a brief stop in Taiwan, and met with US embassy officials in Seoul earlier on Thursday before holding talks with Kim and other lawmakers. .
Late on Thursday, Pelosi plans to visit the Joint Security Area near the heavily fortified inter-Korean border, patrolled by the US-led United Nations Command and jointly by North Korea, a South Korean official said. Quoc said.
She will be the highest-ranking US official to visit the region after former President Donald Trump, who met the North Korean leader. Kim Jong-un available in 2019.
President of Korea Yoon Suk-yeolwho is on a scheduled vacation this week, will not meet Pelosi but will speak with her by phone late Thursday, Yoon’s office said.
South Korean media speculated that Yoon may have avoided meeting Pelosi to avoid antagonizing China, after her visit to Taiwan sparked outrage in Beijing, which claims the self-governing island belongs to only me.
An official at Yoon’s office said they welcomed Pelosi and wished her a smooth travel, but did not comment on those reports.
“Our view during her visit to Taiwan is that we will continue to communicate closely with other countries based on the view that maintaining regional peace and stability through dialogue and cooperation is important,” the official told reporters.
