President Yoon Suk-yeol, right, shakes hands with John Hamre, the president of the Center for Strategic International Studies, during their meeting at the presidential office in Seoul, Dec. 2. Yonhap

President Yoon Suk-yeol met with John Hamre, the president of the Center for Strategic International Studies (CSIS), on Friday and discussed issues ranging from South Korea-U.S. relations to North Korea's provocations, his office said.

During their meeting at the presidential office, Yoon complimented the U.S. think tank for its trailblazing role in advancing research on the two countries' bilateral relations, deputy presidential spokesperson Lee Jae-myoung said in a statement.

Hamre responded that the support in Washington for South Korea's vision to become a "global pivotal state," as well as Yoon's leadership, is strong, and that the CSIS will help advance their bilateral ties, according to Lee.

Victor Cha, senior vice president for Asia at the CSIS, and Kathleen Stephens, former U.S. ambassador to South Korea, also attended the meeting. Also present were National Security Adviser Kim Sung-han and Kim Tae-hyo, first deputy chief of the presidential National Security Office. (Yonhap)