Yi Whan-woo is a Korea Times journalist primarily covering finance. He writes in-depth articles on macroeconomy and financial markets and previously covered sports, politics, diplomacy and inter-Korean affairs, among others. Feel free to contact him at yistory@koreatimes.co.kr.
Unification minister to meet key US figures on NK
By Yi Whan-woo
Unification Minister Ryoo Kihl-jae
By Yi Whan-woo
Unification Minister Ryoo Kihl-jae will meet U.S. officials during a trip to the United States this week to discuss ways of enhancing collaboration between Seoul and Washington on North Korea issues, the government said Monday.
He will go on a rare seven-day trip to the U.S. from Monday to Sunday, the unification ministry said.
Between Tuesday and Thursday, Ryoo will visit Washington D.C. to meet Wendy Sherman, Under Secretary for Political Affairs at the U.S Department of State, and senior congressmen including Sen. Marco Rubio (R-FL) and Rep. Ed Royce (R-CA), it added.
Rubio is a ranking member of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee’s East Asian and Pacific Affairs Subcommittee.
Royce chairs the House Foreign Affairs Committee.
On Wednesday, Ryoo is scheduled to attend the Korea Global Forum to be hosted by the East Asia Institute and hold a roundtable meeting with U.S. experts on North Korea.
Before flying to the U.S. capital, Ryoo will stop by New York for a series of meetings with officials from U.N. agencies such as UNFPA, UNICEP and UNDP to discuss humanitarian aid for Pyongyang.
On his way back to Seoul, he will travel to Los Angeles to deliver a lecture about North Korea to youths there.
It will be the first trip to the U.S. by South Korea’s unification minister since 2011, when Ryoo’s predecessor, Yu Woo-ik, visited.
According to the unification ministry, Ryoo is considering taking similar trips to other nations next year in order to exchange views on North Korea.
In May, he traveled to Shanghai, China to participate in the Conference on Interaction and Confidence Building Measures in Asia on behalf of President Park Geun-hye. It was his first overseas trip since taking office in March 2013.
A ministry official noted that Ryoo’s visit is also designed to draw international support for the government’s much-touted bid for unification of the Korean Peninsula.
President Park has been pushing for unification, describing it as a “bonanza” that will provide benefits for the world, as well as the Korean Peninsula.