Foreign Secretary "Promoted without a hitch in preparation for the new Trump administration"

Foreign Minister Cho Tae-yeol said he will push ahead with preparations for the new U.S. Trump administration, which will take place in January next year, despite the suspension of Yoon Suk Yeol's presidency.

At a press conference held at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs building today (15th), Minister Cho Tae-yeol said, "We will try to maintain a strong Korea-U.S. alliance, maintain a cooperation system between South Korea and Japan, and secure trust and support for the acting president Han Duck-soo early on."

Asked if he planned to visit the U.S. in preparation for the second Trump administration, Cho said he had a phone call with U.S. Secretary of State Tony Blinken and would discuss it face-to-face.

However, the situation has damaged international trust and expectations, so it needs time to recover, he said, adding that he will make it normalized as soon as possible.

On the other hand, in response to Minister Cho's criticism that he did not receive a call from U.S. Ambassador to South Korea Philip Goldberg during the emergency martial law incident, a senior Foreign Ministry official explained that communication between South Korea and the U.S. has been maintained.