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South Korean President Moon Jae-in and US Deputy Secretary of State Wendy Sherman pose for a photo during their meeting at the Blue House on Thursday. (provided by the Blue House)

South Korean President Moon Jae-in received US Deputy Secretary of State Wendy Sherman on Thursday and said he hopes she’ll play a big role in “the South Korea-US alliance and peace on the Korean Peninsula.” Sherman arrived in South Korea following a meeting with the vice foreign ministers of South Korea and Japan that was held in Tokyo the previous evening.

Moon said he has “great expectations” for Sherman when they sat down together at the Blue House reception room on Thursday morning, noting that she’s a “veteran diplomat who is well-versed in Korean Peninsula and Northeast Asian affairs and who has served in various important roles at the State Department.”

“President Biden has stressed that ‘America is back’ and that ‘diplomacy is back.’ Seeing outstanding diplomats such as Secretary [Antony] Blinken and yourself on the State Department team makes me think he should also mention that ‘diplomats are back,’” Moon said.

Sherman served as North Korea policy coordinator at the State Department from 1999 to 2001 and accompanied then-Secretary of State Madeleine Albright to a meeting with former North Korean leader Kim Jong-il in 2000.

Next, Moon reminded Sherman that South Korea and the US had agreed to keep using dialogue and diplomacy to pursue the complete denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula and the establishment of lasting peace there and urged her to keep striving to resume North Korea-US talks.

According to Blue House spokesperson Park Kyung-mee, Sherman told Moon that visiting Korea felt like coming home after a long time away. Sherman also reportedly said that South Korea is a full-fledged and genuine global partner of the US.

Sherman said she hopes that North Korea will quickly take the US up on its offer of dialogue and said that the US wants to keep working closely with South Korea on coordinating North Korea policy.

The deputy secretary of state added that she plans to have an in-depth discussion about North Korean policy with China during an upcoming visit there.

The Blue House also reported that Sherman and Moon exchanged opinions about regional and global issues. Given their robust alliance, South Korea and the US ought to work together on global issues such as climate change, Sherman said.

“South Korea is currently preparing to announce enhanced NDCs at COP26, and we’re working on a bid to host COP28,” Moon said.

NDCs stand for nationally determined contributions, which represent countries’ goals for reducing greenhouse gas emissions.

COP26 stands for the 26th UN Climate Change Conference of the Parties, which will be held this November. COP28, the 28th UN Climate Change Conference, will be held in 2023.

Sherman also made a reference to “Permission to Dance,” the latest global hit by K-pop group BTS, to underline the South Korea and the US alliance and global leadership. Given South Korea and the US’ legacy of cooperation, she said, they don’t need to ask for “permission.”

Moon concluded the meeting by asking Sherman to give his warm regards to Biden upon her return home.

By Lee Wan, staff reporter

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