Washington, June 21 (IANS) Senior diplomats of South Korea and the United States have agreed to work together to strengthen their countries’ alliance and trilateral cooperation with Japan during their talks in Washington, according to the South Korean Embassy in the US capital.

South Korean Ambassador to the U.S. Cho Hyun-dong met with new Under Secretary of State for Political Affairs Allison Hooker at the State Department to discuss the bilateral alliance and a range of regional and global issues, the embassy said.

Confirmed by the Senate earlier this month, Hooker is noted for her longtime experience in diplomacy with North Korea, including preparations for U.S. President Donald Trump’s summits with North Korean leader Kim Jong-un during his first term, reports Yonhap news agency.

“Sharing the understanding on the importance of close cooperation between South Korea and the U.S. over North Korean issues, and of comprehensive bilateral cooperation, the two sides agreed to continue efforts to strengthen the Seoul-Washington alliance and enhance trilateral cooperation with Japan,” the embassy wrote on Facebook.

Cho described Hooker as a longtime expert on issues related to the Korean Peninsula and the alliance.

“(Cho) asked Under Secretary Hooker — a longtime friend of South Korea and strong backer of the South Korea-U.S. alliance — to continue to support efforts for the development of bilateral relations,” it said.

The two sides agreed to closely cooperate to respond effectively to an array of global challenges, as they discussed the Israel-Iran conflict and Ukrainian issues, as well as challenges in the Indo-Pacific.

Hooker previously served as senior director for Asian affairs at the National Security Council. She was deeply involved in preparations for Trump’s summits with Kim in Singapore in June 2018, Hanoi in February 2019 and the inter-Korean border village of Panmunjom in June 2019.

From 2001-2014, Hooker served as a senior analyst for North Korea in the Department of State’s Bureau of Intelligence and Research. She was also selected as the 2013-2014 Council on Foreign Relations International Affairs fellow in South Korea.

–IANS

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