Rubio Cancels South Korea Visit 5 Days Before ... First High-Level Meeting Between Lee Jae-myung and the US Falls Through
South Korean-US Summit Talks May Be Postponed ... Signs of Abnormality in South Korean-US Relations
According to information confirmed on the 3rd, US Secretary of State Marco Rubio canceled his planned visit to South Korea next week.
Rubio was originally scheduled to visit South Korea on the 8th-9th and had coordinated the schedule with the South Korean government to make a courtesy visit to President Lee Jae-myung.
However, the US Department of State informed the South Korean government on the 3rd (2nd US time) five days before the visit that it would be difficult to proceed with the visit due to local circumstances. This is the first time since the Lee Jae-myung administration was established that a high-ranking American official has canceled a visit to South Korea.
On the same day, the presidential office stated: "The Republic of Korea and the United States have always kept open the possibility of Rubio's visit to South Korea and maintained negotiations. However, due to internal US situations, it will be difficult to visit for the time being." She said, "The Republic of Korea and the United States will continue to negotiate on high-level exchanges."
It is reported that on the 10th, Rubio will attend the ASEAN Regional Forum (ARF) Foreign Ministers' Meeting in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, as planned.
The schedule for Lee Jae-myung's first visit to the US and the South Korean-US summit meeting with Donald Trump has been continuously postponed and remains undetermined. Rubio suddenly canceled his visit to South Korea, and there are voices in the diplomatic community questioning: "Has there been a problem with the South Korean-US relationship?"
Source: Chosun Ilbo
Original article: https://www.toutiao.com/article/1836626590139399/
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