Rubio congratulates Lee, affirms 'ironclad' alliance, stresses need to deepen 3-way cooperation with Japan
Published: 04 Jun. 2025, 09:39
![U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio testifies at a House Foreign Affairs Committee hearing on U.S. President Donald Trump's State Department budget request for the Department of State, on Capitol Hill in Washington on May 21. [REUTERS/YONHAP]](https://koreajoongangdaily.joins.com/data/photo/2025/06/04/d955872b-177c-4326-85cc-cb66b548c189.jpg)
U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio testifies at a House Foreign Affairs Committee hearing on U.S. President Donald Trump's State Department budget request for the Department of State, on Capitol Hill in Washington on May 21. [REUTERS/YONHAP]
U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio on Tuesday congratulated Korea's new President Lee Jae-myung on his election, affirmed the two countries' shared commitment to the alliance and voiced his desire to deepen trilateral cooperation with Japan.
Rubio issued a statement after Lee of the liberal Democratic Party was elected the nation's 14th president in a vote that was set up following the April ouster of former President Yoon Suk Yeol over his martial law debacle in December.
"The United States and the Republic of Korea (ROK) share an ironclad commitment to the alliance grounded in our Mutual Defense Treaty, shared values and deep economic ties," he said. ROK is short for Korea's official name, the Republic of Korea.
"We are also modernizing the alliance to meet the demands of today's strategic environment and address new economic challenges," he added.
The secretary also underscored the need for three-way cooperation with Japan.
"We will also continue to deepen U.S.-Japan-ROK trilateral cooperation to bolster regional security, enhance economic resilience and defend our shared democratic principles.
Earlier in the day, Maj. Pete Nguyen, a Pentagon spokesperson, also reaffirmed America's security commitment to the Asian ally.
"The U.S. commitment to the defense of the Republic of Korea and the Alliance remains ironclad," he said in response to a request for comment by Yonhap News Agency.
Yonhap
with the Korea JoongAng Daily
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