As stated by Spokesperson Ned Price:
Today, Deputy Secretary Sherman met in Washington with Republic of Korea President-elect Yoon Suk Yeol's U.S.-ROK Policy Consultation Delegation, led by National Assembly Representative Park Jin. The Deputy Secretary congratulated the delegation for President-elect Yoon's victory and reaffirmed the U.S.-ROK Alliance as the linchpin of peace, security, and prosperity in the Indo-Pacific and beyond. The Deputy Secretary highlighted the U.S.-ROK Alliance's over six decades of cooperation and noted she looks forward to working with the new administration when it takes office in May. She also stressed the importance of U.S.-ROK cooperation in tackling the most pressing global challenges of the 21st century, including threats to regional security from the DPRK, supply chain resiliency, combatting the climate crisis, and ending the acute phase of the COVID-19 pandemic. The Deputy Secretary also highlighted the importance of ongoing U.S. and ROK support for Ukraine in the face of President Putin's continued brutal war. Deputy Secretary Sherman condemned the DPRK's recent ballistic missile launches, which violated multiple UN Security Council resolutions, and highlighted the United States' readiness to engage in serious and sustained diplomacy with the DPRK. Deputy Secretary Sherman also reaffirmed that the United States' commitment to the defense of the Republic of Korea remains ironclad and welcomed joint efforts to make progress on achieving the complete denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula.
