Top US envoy cites 'turbulence' in S. Korea-US alliance amid rift in security, trade priorities
The top U.S. envoy to South Korea on Wednesday described bilateral relations between Seoul and Washington as being in a state of "turbulence," stressing efforts to move the alliance forward into a stronger and more equal partnership. U.S. Ambassador Michelle Steel's remarks come amid apparent friction in the security and trade ties, from implementing their summit agreement from last October and…
U.S. Ambassador Michelle Steel has described the relationship between South Korea and the United States as experiencing turbulence, highlighting the challenges in strengthening the alliance. During a dialogue session organized by the American Chamber of Commerce in Korea, Steel emphasized the need to move the partnership towards a more equal and robust relationship.
The turbulence stems from various issues, including the implementation of their October summit agreement, intelligence sharing on North Korea, and South Korea's pursuit of regaining wartime operational control (OPCON) from Washington. Steel noted that alliances are not static entities but can evolve - in this case, from a weaker state to a stronger one.
The two nations have agreed on numerous economic and security commitments, such as nuclear energy cooperation, shipbuilding collaboration, and South Korean investments in the United States.
Written by urgent.news from The Korea Times's reporting — not their text. Machine-written — may contain errors; check the original before relying on it.
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