By Kim Seung-yeon
SEOUL, Dec. 8 (Yonhap) — Foreign Minister Cho Tae-yul met with U.S. Ambassador Philip Goldberg late Sunday to discuss efforts to strengthen and maintain the bilateral alliance in the aftermath of last week’s martial law debacle, Cho’s office said.
“Minister Cho emphasized the government’s firm commitment to overcoming the current difficult situation, based on South Korea’s democratic resilience and the rule of law,” the foreign ministry said in a message to reporters.
“The two sides agreed to work together to strengthen and maintain the South Korea-U.S. alliance without wavering,” the ministry said.
Goldberg also said in a post on X that the meeting has taken place.
“I met with @FMChoTaeyul to discuss the current situation in the Republic of Korea. We both agreed that the Alliance is ironclad,” he said, referring to South Korea by its official name.
Sunday’s meeting between Cho and the top U.S. envoy marked their second such meeting since the martial law turmoil. They had also met on Thursday, the day after the martial law was lifted.
This file photo, taken Jan. 30, 2024, shows Foreign Minister Cho Tae-yul (R) shaking hands with U.S. Ambassador Philip Goldberg ahead of their first one-on-one meeting at the foreign ministry in Seoul since Cho took office as the top South Korean diplomat. (Yonhap)
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