S.Korean Foreign Minister To Visit US For Talks With Blinken, Guterres - Seoul

SEOUL (UrduPoint News / Sputnik - 31st January, 2023) South Korean Foreign Minister Park Jin will visit the United States from February 1-4 for negotiations with his US counterpart, Antony Blinken, and UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres, and other meetings, the spokesman for the foreign ministry said on Tuesday.

"Minister Park Jin will hold talks with US State Secretary Blinken in Washington on February 3," Lim Soo-suk said at a press briefing, adding that, on February 1, the minister will meet with Guterres to discuss cooperation between South Korea and the United Nations, regional and global issues.

The spokesman also said that 2023 marked the 70th anniversary of the South Korean-US alliance, and the sides were going to discuss way to strengthen this strategic partnership with regard to the issue of North Korea.

Park is also planning to take part in a meeting of the UN Security Council.

Additionally, the foreign minister will meet with NASA representatives to hold consultations on space cooperation, as well as with US lawmakers, experts and entrepreneurs.

Earlier in the day, South Korean Defense Minister Lee Jong-sup held a meeting with his US counterpart, Lloyd Austin. At a press conference after the talks, Lee avoided giving a straightforward answer to the question whether South Korea would provide military assistance to Ukraine. On Monday, NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg, during his visit to Seoul, urged South Korea to change its policy on the supply of arms to other countries and provide military assistance to Ukraine, following the example of Germany, Sweden and Norway.