Nat’l security advisers of S. Korea, U.S. hold 1st phone call since Trump’s inauguration

South Korea’s National Security Adviser Shin Won-sik spoke by phone with his new U.S. counterpart Mike Waltz for the first time and agreed to meet in Washington at an early date, Seoul’s presidential office said Thursday.

It marked South Korea’s Office of National Security’s first high-level contact with a top U.S. security official since the second Trump administration took office last month. The call came as Seoul continues to be in a period of political uncertainty following now-impeached President Yoon Suk Yeol’s botched martial law bid in early December.

During their call, Shin and Waltz exchanged views on the Seoul-Washington relationship, North Korea-related issues and trilateral cooperation with Japan among other matters, according to the presidential office.

The two sides agreed to hold in-person talks in the U.S. capital at an early date for more in-depth discussions, it said.

Congratulating Waltz on his swearing-in as the U.S. national security adviser, Shin said he is sure that the South Korea-U.S. alliance will further strengthen under the Trump administration.

In turn, Waltz expressed his expectation for an expansion of bilateral cooperation in various areas, according to the office.