WASHINGTON — President Joe Biden will host South Korean President Moon Jae-in at the White House on Friday afternoon, Biden’s second in-person meeting with a foreign leader since taking office.
The meeting follows a visit last month from Japanese Prime Minister Yoshihide Suga, underscoring the Biden administration’s focus on the Asia-Pacific region as a foreign policy priority, even as its attention recently has been directed at the conflict between Israel and Gaza.
The two leaders are expected to discuss the pandemic, climate change, technology and semiconductor shortages, but North Korea is likely to be a top priority.
March 25, 202101:20
Moon has emphasized the importance of the denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula and has indicated that he plans to push Biden to resume talks with North Korea, which now has more nuclear weapons than ever.
White House press secretary Jen Psaki said last month that administration officials had completed a review of U.S. policy toward North Korea and suggested that Biden’s approach to North Korea would strike a balance between “achieving a grand bargain” and “strategic patience.”
Asked Thursday whether Biden would consider holding direct talks with North Korean leader Kim Jong Un, Psaki said, “I don’t expect that to be top on his agenda.”
The pandemic is also likely to be a major topic Friday, with Moon likely to press Biden to help boost South Korea’s vaccine supply.
Only around 7 percent of the South Korean population has received at least one dose of a coronavirus vaccine, according to data by the Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency. South Korean health authorities extended social distancing rules for another three weeks Friday as infections continued to spread throughout the country.
Vice President Kamala Harris met with Moon on Friday morning, saying in brief remarks that they would be discussing a range of issues including “challenges that exist on the Korean Peninsula.”
Moon said he looked forward to coordinating closely with the U.S. to “achieve complete denuclearization and establish permanent peace on the Korean peninsula.”
Biden and Moon were expected to hold a joint news conference Friday afternoon after their meeting.
Source: | This article originally belongs to Nbcnews.com
