President Biden and first lady Jill Biden welcomed South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol and his wife Kim Keon Hee to the White House on Tuesday night for a state visit focused on China’s aggression, nuclear tensions in North Korea, and embarrassing U.S. intelligence leaks.
The leaders and their wives greeted each other in the White House’s Diplomatic Room before departing to tour the Korean War Veterans Memorial on the Washington Mall.
Earlier Tuesday, Vice President Kamala Harris hailed the 70-year alliance between the U.S. and South Korea as the “linchpin of security” in the Indo-Pacific and said the partnership will reach new heights with an agreement on space exploration and lunar research.
Ms. Harris and Mr. Yoon toured NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center to mark the agreement.
“We renew our commitment to strengthen our cooperation in the next frontier of our expanding alliance — and, of course, that is space,” Ms. Harris said in joint remarks with Mr. Yoon.
On Wednesday, Mr. Biden and Mr. Yoon will engage in bilateral talks and host a joint press conference in the afternoon, followed by a glittering state dinner at the White House. On Thursday, Mr. Yoon is scheduled to deliver a speech to a joint meeting of Congress.
Mr. Yoon’s visit is the first state visit to the U.S. by a South Korean leader in 12 years. It marks the 70th anniversary of an alliance that has served as the cornerstone of U.S. strategy in Asia and given rise to South Korea as an economic superpower.
Both leaders have underscored the importance of the alliance to meet geopolitical challenges ranging from North Korea’s nuclear ambitions to the war in Ukraine.
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South Korea has a massive stockpile of ammunition but has refused to send any to Ukraine to assist in its war with Russia, out of fear of damaging its relationship with Moscow. However, South Korea has provided Ukraine with about $230 million in non-lethal aid.
Mr. Biden has been among Ukraine’s biggest boosters on the international stage, urging other nations to support their war effort.
For his part, Mr. Biden will pledge that the U.S. will ramp up its efforts to deter a North Korean attack on Seoul. The president will unveil new nuclear deterrence efforts, as well as announce a cybersecurity initiative to protect South Korea.
North Korea’s nuclear saber-rattling has stepped up recently as Pyongyang increased its ballistic missile tests. Earlier this month, North Korea tested a solid-fuel intercontinental missile, a possible breakthrough in its efforts to produce more powerful weaponry.
White House National Security Adviser Jake Sullivan announced the initiatives Monday during a press briefing, but did not offer any specifics.
One source of tension between the two leaders could be the massive intelligence leak earlier this month that revealed Washington has surveilled its allies, including South Korea.
The leaked papers showed that the South Korean National Security Council tussled with the U.S. last month over the Biden administration’s request to provide ammunition to Ukraine.
Last week, Seoul made an effort to ease fears that Mr. Yoon might be angry by the surveillance revelations. A spokesperson for the South Korean leader in a statement described its relationship with the U.S. as “resilient” and one of “brothers.”
The statement said brothers can fight for various reasons, but just because they argue, it does not mean they are no longer brothers or family.
• Jeff Mordock can be reached at jmordock@washingtontimes.com.
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