A key figure overseeing Korean Peninsula affairs in the Trump administration is set to visit Korea for the first time after the inauguration of Lee Jae-myung's government. This is expected to be the first opportunity to discuss the realignment of the Korea-U.S. alliance and measures for cooperation on North Korea.
On the 12th (local time), major media outlets reported, citing diplomatic sources, that Acting Deputy Minister Sean O'Neill, in charge of East Asian and Pacific affairs at the U.S. State Department (Bureau of East Asian and Pacific Affairs), is expected to visit Seoul as early as the 13th.
This visit is the first high-level contact between the Lee Jae-myung government and the Trump administration. O'Neill has been effectively leading Korea-North Korea policy while waiting for the Senate confirmation of Deputy Minister nominee Michael Disomber.
O'Neill is reported to have decided on the visit to Korea after attending the ASEAN Regional Forum (ARF) senior officials' meeting held in Penang, Malaysia, on the 10th.
O'Neill earned his bachelor's degree from Tulane University and his Juris Doctor from Fordham University School of Law. His middle name is Kotaro.
After working as a capital market attorney in New York and Tokyo, he became a diplomat following the September 11 attacks. He has primarily served in Asia, including in Bangladesh, Pakistan, Myanmar, and Hong Kong. He was also the U.S. consul general in Chiang Mai, Thailand.
He was appointed as the senior director for the Bureau of East Asian and Pacific Affairs at the State Department on Jan. 20.
The U.S. State Department noted that O'Neill 'speaks Thai, Chinese, Burmese, Bengali, and Japanese.'
O'Neill is expected to meet with officials from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in Seoul to focus on discussing issues concerning the Korea-U.S. alliance. In particular, the Trump administration is demanding an increased security burden on its allies. There is a high possibility that the issue of defense cost-sharing will be brought up at this initial visit.
Defense cost-sharing refers to the amount that Korea is responsible for in covering the costs of the U.S. military presence in Korea. The defense cost-sharing was also a major issue during the first Trump administration.
How the two countries will coordinate their North Korea policies is also a key agenda item. The Lee Jae-myung government has suspended loudspeaker broadcasts toward North Korea. The Trump administration is attempting diplomatic correspondence with North Korea. Given that both are seeking to improve relations with North Korea, policy coordination is necessary.
Presidents Lee Jae-myung and Trump will attend the Group of Seven (G7) summit to be held from the 15th to the 17th in Canmore, Alberta, Canada. There is a high likelihood that the two leaders will meet in person at this event.
The G7 summit will be attended by the United States, the United Kingdom, Canada, Germany, France, Italy, and Japan. Korea is not a formal member but will participate in the capacity of an observer.