Under Secretary of State for Political Affairs Allison Hooker met today with Republic of Korea (ROK) First Vice Foreign Minister Park Yoonjoo.  The two principals discussed efforts to advance the broad and enduring Alliance between the United States and the ROK, including in security and economic cooperation, and exchanged views on a wide range of pressing regional and global issues.  Both sides reaffirmed the importance of ensuring the freedom of navigation through the Strait of Hormuz and in global waterways.  The U.S.-ROK Alliance remains the linchpin of peace and security on the Korean Peninsula and throughout the Indo-Pacific region, and the United States reaffirmed its commitment to the defense of the ROK, including through our extended deterrence commitments.

Under Secretary Hooker emphasized the United States expects continued progress in our trade and industrial partnership and underscored the need to ensure fair treatment of U.S. companies and the prompt resolution of market access barriers.

Under Secretary Hooker will lead an interagency delegation to Seoul in the coming weeks to launch bilateral working groups to continue implementing understandings from President Trump’s October 2025 visit to the ROK.