The new U.S. ambassador to South Korea, Mark Lippert, expressed hope Monday for close cooperation with Seoul’s unification ministry handling inter-Korean affairs.
He said he would place a top priority on coordinating the policies of the Barack Obama administration and the South Korean government.
Lippert was paying a courtesy call on Unification Minister Ryoo Kihl-jae, Seoul’s point man on Pyongyang.
“It’s great to be back here in this important ministry at this important time. And I am looking forward to working closely and deeply with you” and other government officials, he told Ryoo during a photo session followed by a close-door meeting.
It was their first meeting since Lippert took up the post here at the end of last month.
Ryoo agreed to the importance of the Seoul-Washington alliance, saying it is demonstrated by Obama’s pick of Lippert as his top envoy in Seoul. Lippert is one of the closest and longest-serving aides to Obama for national security.
The minister added since the ambassador, born in 1973, is relatively young, the alliance is expected to be “more vibrant.” (Yonhap)
