18 March 2021 | KOREA CHAIR EXPLAINS
Dr. Ramon Pacheco Pardo
Secretary of State Antony Blinken and Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin have wrapped up the second day of their visit to South Korea. Blinken then departed to Alaska for a meeting with China, while Austin is staying in South Korea for a third day before travelling to India. The visit by Blinken and Austin followed on from their two-day stay in Japan, which kick-started their first overseas trip since the Joe Biden administration took office. The fact that Japan and South Korea were the first two countries visited by Blinken and Austin shows the importance that the Biden administration affords to its allies in East Asia and, more broadly, in the Indo-Pacific region. In this respect, the Biden administration seems to see Seoul as a key partner as it tries to shore up Washington’s foreign policy and international standing following from the Donald Trump administration. To underscore this point, the visit by Blinken and Austin included a meeting with President Moon Jae-in in the Blue House as well as a 2+2 ministerial meeting with Minister of Foreign Affairs Chung Eui-yong and Minister of Defense Suh Wook; the latter was the first 2+2 since 2016, when the Barack Obama administration was in office. Also, South Korea and the US are set to launch a director general-level Bilateral Policy Dialogue to discuss a range of issues regularly. Read more…