Readout of Vice President Harris’s Meeting with President Yoon of the Republic of Korea SEPTEMBER 29, 2022 •

Readout of Vice President Harris’s Meeting with President Yoon of the Republic of Korea

SEPTEMBER 29, 2022

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STATEMENTS AND RELEASES

Vice President Kamala Harris today met with President Yoon Suk-yeol of the Republic of Korea (ROK) in Seoul. The Vice President underscored that the U.S.-ROK Alliance remains a linchpin of peace, stability, and prosperity in the Indo-Pacific and around the world. The Vice President emphasized the importance of upholding the international rules-based order and welcomed our close cooperation with the ROK across a range of issues to strengthen rules and norms and to stand up for our common values and interests. 

Vice President Harris underscored that the United States is committed to defending the ROK and strengthening our combined defense posture. The Vice President reaffirmed the U.S. extended deterrence commitment to the ROK, which is underwritten by the full range of U.S. defense capabilities. 

The Vice President and the President reaffirmed our alignment on the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea (DPRK) and our goal of the complete denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula. They condemned the DPRK’s provocative nuclear rhetoric and ballistic missile launches, in violation of UN Security Council resolutions, and they discussed our response to potential future provocations, including through trilateral cooperation with Japan. The Vice President underscored that the DPRK’s actions threaten peace and security in the Indo-Pacific region and the entire international community.

The Vice President and the President discussed China and Taiwan and the effort to preserve peace and stability across the Taiwan Strait, which the Vice President underscored is an essential element of a free and open Indo-Pacific. 

The Vice President and the President also discussed the growing strategic economic and technology partnership between the United States and the ROK.  Specifically, they reviewed the significant progress made to broaden and enhance cooperation since the May leaders’ summit.

The Vice President and the President agreed to deepen bilateral cooperation on space. In this regard, the Vice President welcomed the ROK’s plan to announce its commitment not to conduct destructive direct-ascent anti-satellite missile testing, a commitment that the Vice President announced on behalf of the United States earlier this year as part of her efforts to develop international rules and norms for space.

The Vice President and the President discussed our shared work to address the climate crisis, including the historic investments made in clean energy under the Inflation Reduction Act. The Vice President underscored that she understood the ROK’s concerns regarding the Act’s tax incentives for electric vehicles, and they pledged to continue to consult as the law is implemented.

The Vice President underscored the priority that the Biden-Harris Administration places on gender equity and women’s empowerment in the ROK and around the world. 

The Vice President emphasized the importance of U.S-Japan-ROK trilateral cooperation and welcomed additional initiatives on this front given our shared goals and security concerns. She also underscored the benefits of improving Japan-Republic of Korea bilateral ties. ###