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Vice Minister of Foreign Affairs Park Yun-joo (right) holds a meeting with U.S. Representative Young Kim, a Republican, on May 21. / Photo courtesy of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs

Vice Minister of Foreign Affairs Park Yun-joo, currently on an official visit to the United States, met with U.S. academic and congressional leaders to outline South Korea's preparedness for the joint fact sheet (JFS) and request cooperation, urging sustained attention from Washington to fast-track its implementation.

According to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs on May 22, Vice Minister Park met with Republican U.S. Representative Young Kim on May 21 and the leadership of the Hudson Institute, including President John Walters, on May 18 to call for continued interest in the JFS roadmap.

During these engagements, Park explained that Seoul and Washington are collaborating closely to maximize mutual benefits and prosperity through the faithful and swift execution of the JFS, while agreeing to maintain high-level exchanges to support this momentum.

In particular, Park highlighted that the passage of the Special Act on Investment in the United States by the National Assembly in March, alongside the memorandum of understanding signed in May to launch the Korea-U.S. Shipbuilding Partnership Initiative, has laid the groundwork to advance the $350 billion strategic investment agreement in the U.S.

"I ask for your continued attention and support to ensure the swift implementation of security-related agreements—including the peaceful use of nuclear energy, nuclear-powered submarines, and shipbuilding—which will elevate the strategic coordination between our two nations to a new level," Park said.

In response, Representative Young Kim noted that the South Korea-U.S. alliance is deepening and expanding across economic, technological, and strategic spheres, pledging close cooperation to facilitate the JFS framework. President Walters also promised to support the initiative by raising awareness for its swift and seamless execution, fostering future-oriented bilateral cooperation.

Since arriving in the U.S. on May 18, Vice Minister Park has held consultations with key administration officials, including Under Secretary of State for Political Affairs Allison Hooker, Deputy Secretary of State Christopher Landau, and Under Secretary of War for Policy Elbridge Colby, to expedite security discussions under the JFS.

As a follow-up, Under Secretary Hooker is slated to lead a U.S. delegation to South Korea within the coming weeks for a JFS security kickoff meeting. The upcoming inaugural session is expected to finalize the U.S. counterparts for the Ministry of Foreign Affairs' ROK-U.S. Nuclear Cooperation Task Force and the Ministry of National Defense's Nuclear Submarine Task Force.

                                                                                                            Mok Yong-jae