Yoon may meet Biden shortly after taking office in May

SEOUL, March 10 (Yonhap) -- As South Korean President-elect Yoon Suk-yeol received a congratulatory call from U.S. President Joe Biden hours after his election victory Thursday, drawing keen attention is when they will meet.

Observers say they may hold their first summit talks as early as in late May. Biden is reportedly considering a visit to Japan in late May for a Quad summit, which will offer a chance for him to make a stopover in South Korea. Yoon is slated to be inaugurated on May 10.

If they meet before the end of the month, it would mark the earliest summit between a new South Korean president and his or her American counterpart.

The White House also stated earlier Biden was looking forward to working closely with Yoon in order to further expand the Seoul-Washington alliance.

Yoon of the conservative People Power Party is likely to place more emphasis on bolstering the alliance amid a tough stance on Pyongyang, a shift from outgoing President Moon Jae-in's proactive efforts for dialogue with the recalcitrant neighbor highlighted by the now-stalled Korea peace process.

"Yoon will more actively support President Biden's Indo-Pacific Strategy in efforts to pivot to a more comprehensive alliance with the United States and subsequently join the Indo-Pacific Economic Framework," Victor Cha, Korea chair at the Center for Strategic and International Studies, wrote in a column.

ejkim@yna.co.kr
(END)