Rep. Kim Seok-ki speaks during a meeting in Washington, D.C., Oct. 12. Yonhap
A bipartisan parliamentary delegation will visit the United States this week with the aim of meeting officials close to U.S. President-elect Donald Trump, ruling party officials said Monday.
The delegation will be made up of Rep. Kim Seok-ki of the ruling People Power Party (PPP), chair of the National Assembly’s Foreign Affairs and Unification Committee; PPP Rep. Kim Gunn and main opposition Democratic Party of Korea (DPK) Rep. Kim Young-bae, vice chairs of the committee; PPP Reps. Kim Hee-jung and Kang Sun-young; and DPK Reps. Wi Sung-lac, Lee Jae-gang and Cho Jung-sik.
Former Foreign Minister Park Jin and former National Security Adviser Kim Sung-han will also be part of the delegation.
While in Washington, the lawmakers and former officials will take part in the ROK-U.S. Strategic Forum at the Center for Strategic and International Studies next Monday.
Talks are also under way to arrange meetings with officials close to Trump.
Park, the former foreign minister, is known to have personal relations with Sen. Bill Hagerty (R-TN), former U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo and former White House chief of staff Reince Priebus, all of whom are considered close to Trump.
On Friday, Park is scheduled to give a special lecture, titled “Perspectives on the U.S.-ROK Alliance after the U.S. Presidential Election,” at the George Washington University.
Meanwhile, National Assembly Speaker Woo Won-shik congratulated Trump on his election in a letter sent Monday, saying he is “confident” the two countries will further develop their firm alliance based on mutual trust and friendship. (Yonhap)
