South Korea’s National Assembly delegation began its trip to the United States on Monday, aiming to strengthen bilateral ties under the second Trump administration.
According to the Office of the National Assembly Speaker, the delegation will visit Washington, DC, and New York from Monday through Saturday, delivering letters from National Assembly Speaker Woo Won-shik to US President Donald Trump, House Speaker Mike Johnson and Vice President JD Vance.
The itinerary also includes discussions with representatives from the US Chamber of Commerce, the Council on Foreign Relations and the Asia Society, as well as meetings with South Korea’s ambassador to the US, consul general in New York and ambassador to the United Nations. The delegation will also hold a meeting with Korean nationals living in New York.
The delegation consists of Reps. Cho Kyung-tae and Bae Joon-young from the ruling People Power Party and Reps. Chung Dong-young, Kim Young-ho and Wi Sung-lac from the main opposition Democratic Party of Korea.
“While concerns are growing over the Trump administration’s ‘America First’ policy and economic uncertainty, we see many opportunities,” Bae said. “Beyond party lines, the National Assembly will work together to enhance South Korea’s global standing and contribute to economic growth through our diplomatic mission.”
This six-day visit to the US is part of the National Assembly's broader efforts to strengthen South Korea's diplomatic relations amid continuing leadership void in administration after suspended President Yoon Suk Yeol’s botched martial law declaration on Dec. 3, which led to his impeachment and criminal indictment on charges of leading an insurrection and abuse of power.
Speaker Woo visited China from Wednesday to Sunday and met with Chinese President Xi Jinping, marking Xi’s first one-on-one meeting with a senior South Korean official since the Dec. 3 martial law incident.
“During the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation summit scheduled for October, I invited President Xi to visit South Korea,” Woo said. “Xi responded that, as it is customary for China’s head of state to attend the APEC summit, he is seriously considering the visit.”
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