U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken and Japanese Foreign Minister Iwaya Takeshi will visit South Korea separately in early to mid-January for bilateral talks with Foreign Minister Cho Tae Yul. Following South Korea’s December 3 martial law incident and impeachment proceedings last year, their visits are interpreted as efforts to dispel concerns about a “diplomatic vacuum” and emphasize the strong ties among South Korea, the United States, and Japan.
According to diplomatic sources on Friday, Blinken will arrive in South Korea on Sunday and hold a U.S.-South Korea foreign ministers’ meeting with Cho on Monday. Iwaya is expected to visit South Korea for two days starting on January 13 to conduct a South Korea-Japan foreign ministers’ meeting with Cho.
While specific agendas have not been disclosed, Blinken is expected to reaffirm with Cho the commitment that the U.S.-South Korea alliance can overcome domestic uncertainties. With President Donald Trump’s second administration set to commence on January 20, some interpret Blinken’s visit as a transition to maintain and strengthen the alliance.
Iwaya is expected to discuss with Cho the importance of trilateral cooperation among South Korea, Japan, and the United States in addressing issues such as North Korea and agree on maintaining close communication at all levels. Additionally, both nations are likely to decide to proceed smoothly with various projects to commemorate the 60th anniversary of the normalization of diplomatic relations between South Korea and Japan next year.
Foreign affairs and security experts analyze that the consecutive visits by the top U.S. and Japanese diplomats amid South Korea’s political instability reflect concerns that instability in South Korean diplomacy could lead to instability on the Korean Peninsula and in Northeast Asia, which would not align with U.S. and Japanese national interests.
Professor Kim Jung of the University of North Korean Studies stated, “With South Korea’s political situation highly uncertain, the U.S. and Japan need to show support from allies or close friendly nations to maintain the status quo on the Korean Peninsula.” He added that these visits intend to assist the South Korean administration in maintaining security.
Moon Sung Mook, head of the Unification Strategy Center at the Korea Research Institute for National Strategy, commented, “The visits by the U.S. and Japanese foreign ministers to South Korea at this time signify a commitment to maintaining the U.S.-South Korea alliance, South Korea-Japan relations, and U.S.-South Korea-Japan security cooperation, regardless of South Korea’s political situation.”
Moon explained, “Particularly for Japan, which wants to maintain the hard-won restored relations with South Korea in this 60th anniversary year of diplomatic normalization, Iwaya’s visit clearly shows Japan’s will to continue the cooperative trend in South Korea-Japan relations.”
Hong Seok Hoon, professor of international relations at Changwon National University, analyzed, “The visits are expected to reaffirm and solidify existing U.S.-South Korea-Japan diplomatic relations, as seen in the Camp David Declaration.”