SEOUL
\nUS Secretary of State Antony Blinken arrived on Sunday in South Korea on the first stop of a brief Asia tour also including the Philippines, as Washington moves to reinforce ties with two key regional allies.
\nBlinken landed on Sunday afternoon ahead of the third Summit for Democracy on Monday, an initiative of US President Joe Biden, which Seoul is hosting this week.
\nThe summit, which runs from March 18-20 will bring together government officials, NGOs and civil society members. Seoul is one of Washington\u2019s key regional allies, and the United States has stationed about 27,000 American soldiers in the South, to help protect it against the nuclear-armed North.
\nSeoul\u2019s conservative President Yoon Suk Yeol has boosted ties with Washington and sought to bury the historical hatchet with former colonial power Japan to better guard against Pyongyang\u2019s threats.
\nBlinken will meet South Korean Foreign Minister Cho tae-yul, the ministry said, for discussions that will cover how to boost the alliance, as Washington and Seoul explore how to improve their so-called \u201cextended deterrence\u201d against North Korea.
\nThe democracy summit has attracted some criticism due to its selective invitation list, which excludes countries that consider themselves democratic, such as Thailand and Turkiye.
\nAfter Seoul, Blinken heads to Manila, a trip that will reaffirm \u201cour unwavering commitment to the Philippine ally\u201d, according to State Department spokesperson Matthew Miller.
\nHe will talk with local officials including President Ferdinand Marcos, with issues with China including over the South China Sea likely to top the agenda. The US is redoubling efforts to improve longstanding ties with regional allies such as Manila, in an effort to counterbalance China.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
SEOUL US Secretary of State Antony Blinken arrived on Sunday in South Korea on the first stop of a brief Asia tour also including the Philippines, as Washington moves to reinforce ties with two key regional allies. Blinken landed on Sunday afternoon ahead of the third Summit for Democracy on Monday, an initiative of US […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":394687,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[6],"tags":[],"class_list":{"0":"post-394671","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-world"},"yoast_head":"\n