폼페이오, 내달 초 방한...대선 전 동맹 강조할 듯

South Korean local media reports, citing sources in Seoul's foreign policy arena, that U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo is likely to make a trip to South Korea early next month.
From the cost of stationing American troops on the peninsula to resuscitating denuclearization talks with North Korea, there are a wide range of alliance issues that need to be discussed between Seoul and Washington only weeks before the November 3rd U.S. presidential election if indeed he does make the trip.
Our Yoon Jung-min takes an in-depth look.
Sources say U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo is expected to visit South Korea for two days from October 7th.
Pompeo is likely to sit down for talks with his South Korean counterpart Kang Kyung-wha and pay a visit to President Moon Jae-in.
The agenda for the talks could include a series of bilateral issues,... including the stalled negotiations on defense cost-sharing and South Korea's participation in the next G7 Summit.
Sources say Pompeo is also stopping in Japan to meet the country's new prime minister, Yoshihide Suga, which would indicate that the trip also concerns issues in the greater Pacific region.
"For now the major concern for the U.S. is to consolidate its allies to pressure China. I think one of the example out of many is the Quad plus, which means Vietnam, New Zealand and South Korea included in the multilateral alliance network of the United States."
Pompeo and South Korean officials are also expected to discuss issues related to North Korea,... though Pompeo is not likely to be in touch with the North on his trip.
President Trump isn't likely to meet with Kim Jong-un anytime soon either.
"I don't think there's any possibility that President Trump will meet Kim Jong-un again. Because just fewer than around 50 days to the American presidential election, physically, I don't think President Trump can come."
According to local media, the U.S. State Department has neither confirmed nor denied Pompeo's visits to Seoul and Tokyo.
Seoul-based Yonhap News Agency reported Thursday... that a U.S. State Department official said the U.S. is committed to closely coordinating with South Korea on efforts related to the North.
That was its response when asked about declaring an official end to the Korean War.
In his speech to the UN General Assembly, South Korean President Moon Jae-in called for international support for such a declaration... since combat in the war stopped with the signing only of an armistice.
Seoul's foreign ministry said Thursday that South Korea's top nuclear envoy Lee Do-hoon will be in Washington from this Sunday until next Wednesday to meet with deputy state secretary Stephen Biegun... and discuss the denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula.
Yoon Jung-min, Arirang News.