Ambassador Jung highlights Korea-U.S. public diplomacy cooperation during meetings with senior state department officials
Ambassador Jung Ki-hong of South Korea’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs met with senior officials from the U.S. State Department during the “2025 Korea-U.S. Public Diplomacy Forum” held in Washington, D.C. on November 18 (local time), the Ministry said on November 19.
Ahead of and following the forum, Ambassador Jung met with Sarah Rogers, U.S. Assistant Secretary for Public Diplomacy, and Michael DeSombre, U.S. Deputy Assistant Secretary for East Asian and Pacific Affairs, to discuss expanding U.S.-Korea public diplomacy cooperation and follow-up measures related to the detention of Korean workers in Georgia.
During the meeting with Assistant Secretary Rogers, the two sides discussed strengthening foreign public diplomacy systems based on U.S.-Korea-Japan cooperation, linking next year’s commemorations of the 250th anniversary of U.S. independence, and promoting exchanges between future generations. Both officials emphasized the importance of enhancing bilateral public diplomacy.
In particular, Ambassador Jung highlighted to Deputy Assistant Secretary DeSombre that resolving difficulties faced by personnel of Korean investment companies entering the U.S. and improving visa processes is crucial for maintaining the momentum of bilateral cooperation. Both sides agreed to continue collaboration through the “U.S.-Korea Visa Working Group,” implement follow-up measures on the Georgia case, and discuss ways to ensure the stable operations of Korean businesses in the U.S.
At the forum, co-hosted by the Hudson Institute and the Korea Institute for National Unification and supported by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Ambassador Jung also discussed the future of the U.S.-Korea alliance, economic cooperation, public perceptions of China, and long-term prospects with experts from both countries. Participants evaluated that the joint U.S.-Korea fact sheets have expanded the alliance’s objectives beyond security to include economic prosperity and advanced technology cooperation, and agreed on the need to innovate alliance mechanisms to implement these goals effectively.