US not considering adding South Korea to Quad: official

U.S. President Joe Biden speaks during a news conference with South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol at the People's House inside the Ministry of National Defense in Seoul's Yongsan District, Saturday. AP-Yonhap

The United States is not considering adding South Korea to the Washington-led Quad security forum seen by many as a partnership to counter an assertive China, a senior U.S. official reportedly said Sunday.

The official made the remarks while accompanying U.S. President Joe Biden on his three-day trip to in Seoul, which will be followed by a visit to Tokyo for the summit of the Quadrilateral Security Dialogue (Quad) slated for Tuesday. The Quad consists of the U.S., Australia, India and Japan. Biden had a summit with South Korean President Yoon Suk-yeol, Saturday, during which they presented a shared vision for a "Global Comprehensive Strategic Alliance" between their two countries.

"Not currently under consideration to add South Korea to Quad," the official was quoted by Reuters as saying.

His remarks indicated that at the moment, Washington is not looking for the expansion of the dialogue platform into the "Quad plus" to include additional members such as South Korea.

Such a U.S. stance has already been stated in the lead-up to Biden's first Asia swing since his inauguration early last year.

"I think that we have to recognize that the Quad is still developing, and so we're looking for ways in which we can reinforce and strengthen what we've done so far," another U.S. official told reporters via teleconference Friday. "But at the same time, I think that we welcome any support for the Quad."

During his election campaign, Yoon pledged to take part in the Quad's various working groups such as those on climate change and technology in order to gradually expand cooperation between South Korea and the Quad. (Yonhap)

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