United States And Republic Of Korea Deepen Alliance At Senior Economic Dialogue

Under Secretary of State for Economic Affairs Jacob Helberg met today with Republic of Korea (ROK) Second Vice Foreign Minister Kim Jina in Washington to hold the U.S.-ROK Senior Economic Dialogue (SED). The meeting reaffirmed the commitments made at the U.S.-ROK presidential summits in Washington in August and in Gyeongju in October, which inaugurated a more modernized U.S.-ROK Alliance. They both looked forward to the December 16 ROK-U.S. Joint Public-Private Economic Forum in Seoul.

The SED highlighted the success of the historic Strategic Trade and Investment deal – including $350 billion in investment in U.S. reindustrialization – which is central to cementing progress on reciprocal trade, energy security, shipbuilding, and emerging and critical technologies. The two sides discussed ROK government and private sector-led investments in American manufacturing and ongoing efforts to facilitate Korean business travel to the United States, including through the U.S.-ROK Business Travel and Visas Working Group.

The Under Secretary and Second Vice Foreign Minister also emphasized the importance of enhancing joint economic security measures and securing trusted supply chains. They discussed ways to strengthen economic and national security alignment to preserve collective competitiveness and maintain secure supply chains, including cooperation to address unfair and non-market policies and practices. Both sides also explored further collaboration on critical minerals, with the Under Secretary highlighting the ROK's leadership on resilient supply chains in both regional and multilateral fora.

In line with President Trump's landmark achievements in supporting lasting peace, the Under Secretary and the Second Vice Foreign Minister also discussed how to leverage industrial competitiveness to support the restoration of economic stability in conflict zones.

The meeting marked the tenth iteration of the SED and underscored the enduring importance of the U.S.-ROK Alliance in shaping a secure and prosperous Indo-Pacific region.

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