U.S. official skips South Korea on Asia tour

A senior U.S. foreign affairs official under the Trump administration is set to visit Japan, Vietnam, and other countries but will not stop in South Korea. The decision appears to reflect the political uncertainty in Seoul following the declaration of martial law, the impeachment of the president, and the transition to an early presidential election.

However, some observers have raised concerns that repeated omissions of South Korea from high-level U.S. diplomatic visits could disrupt bilateral cooperation on foreign policy and security matters.

The U.S. State Department announced on the 15th that Sean O'Neill, a senior official in the Bureau of East Asian and Pacific Affairs, will visit Vietnam, Cambodia, Japan, and Honolulu, Hawaii, from the 16th through the 25th of next month. The bureau oversees U.S. diplomatic relations with key countries in the region, including South Korea, Japan, China, and ASEAN members.

According to the State Department, O'Neill will meet with officials in Vietnam to reaffirm the countries’ understanding of their “comprehensive strategic partnership” and to discuss trade issues. In Japan, he is expected to address matters related to the U.S.-Japan alliance and the bilateral economic partnership. In Honolulu, he will meet with U.S. military officials to discuss troop presence in the Indo-Pacific region.

In recent months, other senior U.S. officials also excluded South Korea from their trips to Asia. Last month, Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard visited four countries, including Japan, but skipped South Korea. Gabbard oversees 17 U.S. intelligence agencies, including the CIA and FBI.

Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth also visited Japan and the Philippines last month, but did not include South Korea in his itinerary. At the time, the South Korean defense ministry reportedly discussed a possible visit with the U.S., but Seoul was ultimately excluded from the tour.


Jin-Woo Shin niceshin@donga.com