Anna Jiwon Park has been covering the politics at The Korea Times since the summer of 2024, when she joined the press pool for the Office of the President in Korea. Prior to that, she spent about five years reporting extensively on financial markets, regulatory authorities and the financial industry. She joined The Korea Times in 2019 after spending eight years as a broadcast journalist at Arirang TV, Korea’s leading global broadcaster, covering politics, defense and culture.
Foreign ministry reassures allies of policy consistency after impeachment vote
Foreign Minister Cho Tae-yul, right, shakes hands with U.S. Ambassador to South Korea Philip Goldberg after signing a special agreement on defense cost-sharing at the Government Complex Seoul, Nov. 4. Courtesy of Ministry of Foreign Affairs
By Anna J. Park
After the National Assembly passed an impeachment motion against President Yoon Suk Yeol, Saturday, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs promptly contacted senior diplomats from the U.S., Japanese, and Chinese embassies in Seoul to reaffirm that Korea's foreign policy direction would remain unchanged.
In a notice sent to the press corps, the ministry said Foreign Minister Cho Tae-yul met U.S. Ambassador to Korea Philip Goldberg on Saturday evening to discuss the latest political developments, including the passage of the impeachment motion.
The prompt meeting stood in sharp contrast to what occurred on the night of Dec. 3, when it was Goldberg who had immediately reached out to Cho after Yoon's martial law declaration. However, the foreign minister did not answer the phone. He later explained that he had chosen not to respond, as he did not want to mislead the ambassador with the limited information he had at that moment.
During the meeting, Cho emphasized that South Korea's foreign and security policies, firmly grounded in the Korea-U.S. alliance, would remain unchanged, even under the acting president system. He reassured the officials that the government’s commitment to strengthening and developing the alliance remains steadfast.
Both countries also agreed to continue close communication to further strengthen the robust Korea-U.S. alliance, the ministry added.
Kim Hong-kyun, the first vice foreign minister, also met with Japanese Ambassador Koichi Mizushima.
Kim emphasized that Korea's foreign policy direction will remain consistent and that the government will continue to make steadfast efforts to further develop Korea-Japan relations.
The two sides agreed to maintain close communication under the current situation and continue the trilateral cooperation between South Korea, Japan, and the United States.
Deputy Foreign Minister for Political Affairs Chung Byung-won held a meeting with Fang Kun, the charge d'affaires ad interim of the Chinese Embassy in Seoul. The two sides agreed to enhance mutual economic cooperation and promote people-to-people exchanges.
Meanwhile, Prime Minister Han Duck-soo, who is now acting president, immediately issued urgent instructions to all ministries after the passage of the impeachment motion. The prime minister particularly urged the foreign minister to "maintain close communication channels with major countries, while affirming the strong Korea-U.S. alliance."