U.S. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi talks with South Korean National Assembly Speaker Kim Jin-pyo during their meeting at the National Assembly in Seoul, Thursday. Yonhap

Presidential office says Yoon-Pelosi meeting was not held due to time conflict

By Kang Seung-woo

President Yoon Suk-yeol spoke with U.S. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi over the phone, Thursday, opting for an alternative that dispelled worries he was snubbing the No. 3 official in the U.S. government by not meeting her in person.

Pelosi arrived in Seoul on Wednesday night following a controversial stop in Taiwan as part of her Asian trip.

According to Deputy National Security Adviser Kim Tae-hyo, Yoon and Pelosi spoke by phone for 40 minutes to discuss pending issues, such as North Korea's nuclear challenge and the alliance between Seoul and Washington.

Referring to Pelosi's visit to the Joint Security Area near the heavily fortified inter-Korean border, Yoon was quoted as saying, "Her visit will become a sign of deterrence between South Korea and the United States against North Korea." In response, Pelosi told Yoon the allies need to jointly build a free and open Indo-Pacific order, according to Kim.

The presidential office said the phone talks were also accompanied by five other members of Congress and U.S. Ambassador to South Korea Philip Goldberg.

Yoon is on a five-day summer vacation until Friday, so the presidential office said, Wednesday, the president had no plan to meet with Pelosi. The presidential office added that the U.S. side fully understood Yoon's situation.

But the presidential office changed its stance and announced that they would have a phone meeting. The announcement came as none of the senior officials of the Yoon administration had planned to hold a meeting with Pelosi, raising speculation that the South Korean government faced a dilemma amid the U.S.-Sino rivalry. The U.S. is a staunch ally of South Korea, while China is its largest trading partner.

The conjecture was further fueled by the fact that no one from the South Korean government was present at Osan Air Base to welcome Pelosi. According to Yoon's office, the protocol for her visit was coordinated between Pelosi's side and the National Assembly. But a media report said Pelosi was unhappy with the treatment, citing an official at the U.S. Embassy in South Korea.