The president of South Korea, Yoon Suk Yeoltravel this Monday to USA in the framework of a six-day visit, at a time when the allies seek to strengthen their military cooperation in the face of the growing nuclear threat from North Korea and difficult relations with China. This year, Pyongyang has carried out a series of launches, including a first test of a solid-fueled ballistic missile. In response, Yoon has grown even closer to his old ally, the United States.
the journey of Yoon includes a summit with the President of the United States, Joe Biden, on Wednesday, in which they will celebrate 70 years of ties. “The two leaders will spend a lot of time together over the course of numerous events (to) celebrate the achievements of the South Korea-US alliance over the past 70 years, and exchange in-depth views on the future of the alliance.” , Senior Deputy National Security Adviser Kim Tae-hyo told reporters before the trip.
The trip comes at a time when Yoon has to contend with an increasingly nervous South Korean public about the US commitment to so-called enhanced deterrence, in which US assets — including nuclear weapons — serve to prevent attacks against allies. According to various polls, the majority of South Koreans believe that the country should develop its own nuclear weapons.
Yoon, who will be entertained at a state dinner by the Bidens and will visit NASA and the US Chamber of Commerce, should return with “tangible results” from his trip to Washington, said Gi-Wook Shin, a Korean professor of sociology at the stanford university. Otherwise, he risks further weakening public support for him and “South Korea’s confidence in the United States,” he added.
Following the withdrawal from Afghanistan, the turbulent presidency of Donald Trump – who threatened to withdraw troops from South Korea – and the sophistication and variety of the North Korean arsenal after a record number of weapons tests in the last two-thirds of years the South Koreans argue that Seoul should develop and possess its own atomic weapons. In order to avoid a future scenario like this, Yoon and his American counterpart, Joe Biden, are expected to stage the solidity of said alliance at the summit that they celebrate on Wednesday at the White House and announce that the so-called “extended détente” is going away. to further strengthen and amplify.
The so-called expanded or extended deterrence is a commitment made by Washington last year that consists of sending US strategic assetssuch as bombers or aircraft carriers, to the Korean peninsula to respond to the actions of the northern regime.
Yoon’s speech before the US Congress scheduled for Thursday will deal with the new challenges facing the alliance and is also expected to be a call to continue strengthening it and to keep alive that commitment to the defense of South Korea.
That same day, the South Korean president, who is traveling accompanied by First Lady Kim Keon-hee, will have lunch with US Vice President and Secretary of State Kamala Harris and Antony Blinken, before participating in a briefing with Pentagon representatives at a ” undisclosed location.”
Apart from North Korea, Yoon’s visit will include meetings with business circles aimed at strengthening cross-investments and supply chains in key products for both countries such as batteries or semiconductors.
business delegation
Yoon is accompanied by a delegation of 122 businessmen, including the presidents of Samsung Electronics (Lee Jae-yong) SK Group (Chey Tae-won) or Hyundai Engine (Euisun Chung), who will be at a forum in Washington on Tuesday that will also be attended by representatives of US companies such as Qualcomm or Boeing and from which announcements about investments in South Korea are expected.
The South Korean president will also travel to Boston to meet on Friday with academics from the digital and biopharmaceutical sectors at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) before delivering a speech at Harvard that same day.
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South Korean “soft power” will also have a place in the visit, since on Thursday Yoon will hold a meeting with Hollywood studios, from Warner to Walt Disney or Netflix, to explore greater links in the audiovisual sector.
Yoon is the first South Korean president to pay a state visit to the US since Lee Myung-bak in 2011 and only the second president to do so since Biden came to power in 2021.