The alliance between the US and South Korea will be “supported and strengthened by the values we share,” South Korea’s Foreign Minister Cho said at the meeting with Blinken. “We work to advocate for human rights and democratic values.” Cho added that Washington and Seoul would also act “in lockstep” in condemning “North Korea’s increasingly provocative rhetoric and actions that violate multiple UN Security Council resolutions.”
Under President Yoon Suk Yeol, South Korea has increasingly developed into an important partner for the USA. Among other things, Seoul expanded military cooperation with Washington, for example by expanding joint maneuvers. Most recently, North Korea, which was subject to sanctions, sharpened its rhetoric towards its neighbor South Korea and named Seoul its “main enemy”.
Experts also suspect that the latest North Korean weapons tests could be related to Russia’s war of aggression in Ukraine. Pyongyang and Moscow have expanded their relations in recent months.
The democracy summit is scheduled to take place in South Korea from March 18th to 20th. He wants to form a front against autocratic ruled countries like Russia and China. Biden hosted the first such democracy summit in December 2021. Last year, the three-day meeting addressed challenges facing democracies worldwide. The heads of state and government of around 120 countries were invited to the summit in 2023, which was held jointly with Costa Rica, the Netherlands, South Korea and Zambia, including Federal Chancellor Olaf Scholz (SPD).
