On October 16, during a meeting in Seoul, South Korea’s First Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs Kim Hyoung-joon and U.S. Deputy Secretary of State Kurt Campbell discussed strategies to strengthen the U.S.-South Korea alliance and address the North Korean issue.
According to reports, the two officials are set to join Japan’s Deputy Foreign Minister Masakazu Okano for the 14th trilateral meeting of U.S., South Korean, and Japanese deputy foreign ministers.
Recent tensions on the Korean Peninsula have escalated, with the South Korean government strongly condemning North Korea’s destruction of sections of the Gyeongui and Donghae railway lines connecting the two Koreas. In retaliation, South Korean military forces conducted counter-shooting exercises in areas south of the Military Demarcation Line.
North Korea, in response, has raised concerns regarding “South Korean drone incursions into its airspace.” On October 14, North Korean leader Kim Jong-un personally chaired a national defense and security meeting, reiterating the country’s firm military and political stance.
