by REERA YOO | @reeraboo
editor@charactermedia.com
South Korean President Park Geun-hye will meet with U.S. President Barack Obama on June 16 during a visit to Washington, the White House announced on Tuesday.
This will be Park’s second visit to Washington since taking office in 2013. White House Press Secretary Josh Earnest said the meeting will “underscore the strength and breadth” of the partnership between the U.S. and South Korea, amid rising tension with North Korea.
Park and Obama’s talks are expected to cover a broad range of security, economic and global issues, including the U.S.-South Korea alliance and its role in assuring regional stability and security.
Cybersecurity issues are also likely to come up in the talks, as both the U.S. and South Korea have been subjected to cyberattacks allegedly launched by North Korea.
In 2013, South Korean television stations and banks suffered from frozen computer terminals due to a hacking attack, which Seoul investigated and traced back to Pyongyang. Last December, the White House accused North Korea for being “centrally involved” in the Sony Pictures cyberattacks.
Earnest added that health and environmental issues are also on the two leaders’ agenda.
Park’s visit comes two months after Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe addressed a joint meeting of Congress, which stirred controversy after Abe stopped short of offering an apology for Japan’s sexual enslavement of thousands of Korean and other Asian “comfort women” during World War II.
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Featured image via The White House/YouTube
