Speaker Nancy Pelosi with South Korean Speaker Kim Jin-pyo
Speaker Nancy Pelosi traveled to South Korea after her historic visit to Taiwan this week.
President Yoon Suk-yeol refused to meet with her. He did not want to interrupt his vacation.
South Korean president Yoon, who aspires for South Korea to become a "global pivotal state," declined to meet in person with Speaker Pelosi while on staycation in Seoul — and was spotted out drinking last night. https://t.co/JGyYqV4lnc
— Michelle Ye Hee Lee (@myhlee) August 4, 2022
Pelosi met with the South Korean Speaker instead.
America & South Korea share an unbreakable bond, forged by decades of friendship & partnership.
Our delegation was honored to meet with Speaker @jinpyokim of the Korean National Assembly & to discuss how we can continue advancing security, prosperity & democracy for our nations. pic.twitter.com/mtZwzbBUiR
— Nancy Pelosi (@SpeakerPelosi) August 4, 2022
Priorities.
South Korea's President didn’t meet Nancy Pelosi because he didn't want to interrupt his vacation, his office says https://t.co/1XvjBjVSKq
— Bloomberg (@business) August 4, 2022
The New York Post reported:
South Korean President Yoon Suk-yeol is under fire for opting not to cut his holiday short in order to meet face-to-face with House Speaker Nancy Pelosi on Thursday — with critics accusing him of not wanting to antagonize China following Pelosi’s visit to Taiwan.
The conservative leader’s official reason for not seeing the California Democrat during her brief visit to Seoul was that he had already scheduled time off for a pre-planned summer vacation, his office said.
But local media and other critics quickly slammed the South Korean leader, accusing Yoon of prioritizing strong ties with China — South Korea’s biggest trading partner.
Yoon opted to hold a 40-minute phone call with Pelosi, during which they discussed the US-South Korean alliance, foreign policy and other issues, his office said.
