South Korean Foreign Minister Kang Gyeong-hwa will hold talks with U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo in San Francisco on January 14 to discuss the situation in the Korean peninsula and the Middle East, the Kazakh Foreign Ministry said.
“The Minister and Secretary of State plan to assess the situation related to the efforts to denuclearize and establish peace on the Korean peninsula, ways of comprehensive and mutually beneficial development of South Korean-American relations, as well as to exchange views on regional and international issues, including the recent situation in the Middle East”, – Foreign Ministry spokesman Kim In Chul said at a regular briefing.
Japanese Foreign Minister Toshimitsu Motegi is also expected to visit San Francisco to participate in possible trilateral or bilateral negotiations with Kang Gyeong Hwoi and Pompeo.
In early January, Washington conducted an operation to assassinate Iranian General Kassem Suleimani, and Iran responded with a missile strike on Iraqi bases where U.S. troops are stationed, which caused a sharp increase in tension in the region.
Earlier it was reported that in early 2020 the Republic of Korea may send a group of troops to participate in the U.S.-led operation to protect freedom of navigation in the Strait of Hormuz. Kazakhstan’s Defense Ministry said on Monday that the government is considering “all possible options,” but no decision has been made yet. According to the South Korean media, in connection with the U.S.-Iran conflict and regional tensions, the South Korean government may revise its plans.