Overview
- South Korean Ambassador Cho Hyun-dong and U.S. Under Secretary Allison Hooker met at the State Department in Washington on June 20 to discuss alliance enhancement.
- The diplomats agreed to intensify the Seoul-Washington partnership and broaden trilateral ties with Tokyo across defense, intelligence and diplomatic channels.
- Discussions covered North Korea policy coordination, responses to Israel-Iran tensions, support for Ukraine and Indo-Pacific security strategies.
- Hooker’s Senate confirmation earlier this month followed a tenure as senior director for Asian affairs at the National Security Council and as a senior North Korea analyst at the State Department’s Bureau of Intelligence and Research.
- She played a key role in U.S. preparations for President Trump’s summit meetings with Kim Jong-un in Singapore (2018), Hanoi (2019) and Panmunjom (2019).