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| Korean Foreign Minister Park Jin, second from right, and Korean Ambassador to the U.S. Cho Tae-yong, right, are seen posing for a photo with Rep. Michael McCaul (R-TX), chairman of the House Foreign Affairs Committee, third from right, and Rep. Young Kim (R-C) during their meeting in Washington on Feb. 2, in this photo provided by the Korean foreign ministry. Yonhap |
Korean Foreign Minister Park Jin sought to rally support for efforts to further strengthen the U.S.-Korea alliance Thursday in meetings with various U.S. officials and lawmakers.
He also discussed ways to address Korea's concerns over the U.S. Inflation Reduction Act, which offers tax benefits only to vehicles assembled in North America.
"Foreign Minister Park Jin held separate meetings with key figures of the 118th U.S. Congress, including House Foreign Affairs Committee Chairman Michael McCaul (R-TX), House Foreign Affairs committee member Young Kim (R-CA), Sen. Bill Hagerty (R-TN) and Rep. Andy Kim (R-NJ), and held in-depth discussions on the 70th anniversary of the Korea-U.S. alliance, the IRA and conditions in the region," the Korean foreign ministry said in a press release.
Park arrived here late Wednesday, following a brief visit to New York. He is set to hold bilateral talks with U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken on Friday before heading home the following day.
"While praising the U.S. Congress for playing an important role in advancing the Korea-U.S. alliance through bipartisan support, Minister Park asked the lawmakers to lend active support for the alliance in the year marking the 70th anniversary of the alliance," said the press release.
Korea and the U.S. signed their Mutual Defense Treaty on Oct. 1, 1953.
"In addition, Minister Park called for congressional support our businesses so they will not be subject to unfair treatment under the Inflation Reduction Act," it added.
Seoul has repeatedly expressed concerns over the IRA since it was signed into law in August that it may violate World Trade Organization regulations on national treatment, as well as the Korea-U.S. free trade agreement, by excluding Korea-made electric vehicles from tax benefits.
The U.S. lawmakers underscored the need to further expand economic cooperation between the two countries while expressing support for efforts to further advance the U.S.-Korea alliance, according to the foreign ministry.
Park also met with former U.S. ambassadors to Korea ― Kathleen Stephens and Mark Lippert.
"Minister Park said the countries seek to substantialize the Global Comprehensive Strategic Alliance between Korea and the U.S. this year marking the 70th anniversary of the alliance, and asked for support from all levels of society in the U.S. to make actual progress in all areas, including security, economy and technology, that the people in both countries can actually feel," the ministry said of the meeting. (Yonhap)
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