Secretary Blinken’s Call with Republic of Korea Foreign Minister Park

Office of the Spokesperson

The below is attributable to Spokesperson Ned Price:

Secretary of State Antony J. Blinken held his introductory call yesterday with Republic of Korea (ROK) Minister of Foreign Affairs Park Jin to discuss continued U.S.-ROK cooperation to address critical global challenges. The Secretary congratulated Foreign Minister Park on his May 12 appointment as foreign minister and reaffirmed the U.S. resolve to work closely with the ROK on the wide range of important bilateral, regional, and global issues. The Secretary emphasized our ironclad, mutual commitment to the defense of the ROK and our shared goal of the complete denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula, as well as the importance of trilateral cooperation with Japan in support of peace and security in the Indo-Pacific. Secretary Blinken and Foreign Minister Park condemned recent DPRK ballistic missile launches. In addition, the Secretary and the Foreign Minister discussed U.S. and ROK efforts to provide assistance to Ukraine and hold the Kremlin and its enablers accountable for President Putin’s brutal, unprovoked war.