South Korean Foreign Minister Cho Tae-yul, center, U.S. Sen. Dan Sullivan of Alaska, left, and Jim Risch, chairman of the U.S. Senate Foreign Relations Committee, pose for a photo during their meeting on the sidelines of the Munich Security Conference in Germany, in this photo provided by the foreign ministry, Feb. 15. Yonhap
Foreign Minister Cho Tae-yul met with key members of the U.S. Senate and House Foreign Affairs Committees and reaffirmed the alliance between South Korea and the United States, Seoul's foreign ministry said Saturday.
Cho emphasized the importance of the robust bilateral alliance during his meeting with Jim Risch, chairman of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, and Brian Mast, chairman of the House Foreign Affairs Committee, and other lawmakers on the sidelines of the Munich Security Conference in Germany on Saturday (local time).
During the talks, Cho asked for continued bipartisan support from the U.S. Congress for the alliance, trilateral cooperation with Japan and the complete denuclearization of North Korea under President Donald Trump, the ministry said.
The top diplomat also outlined key areas of cooperation, including strengthening the alliance and deepening economic security cooperation in shipbuilding, energy and advanced technology, among others.
The lawmakers reaffirmed that congressional support for the South Korea-U.S. alliance and trilateral cooperation with Japan remains bipartisan and strong under the Trump administration, according to the ministry.
They also pledged to provide congressional support to further solidify the achievements made by the two countries under the Trump administration.
"Under the new U.S. administration, South Korea and the United States will continue to deepen and expand their cooperation with the firm trust of the U.S. Congress," the ministry said in a release. (Yonhap)
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