With Trump's inauguration near, Korea communicates only with Biden administration

[Anchor]

In an effort to fill the diplomatic void caused by the martial law and impeachment situation, the First Vice Minister of Foreign Affairs has traveled to the United States.

However, it has raised concerns that there are no plans to meet with incoming Trump administration officials, and only Biden administration officials will be met.

This is Kim Ji-sook reporting from Washington.

[Report]

First Vice Minister of Foreign Affairs Kim Hong-kyun is the first high-ranking official from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs to visit the United States since the emergency martial law situation.

The visit aims to normalize the strained South Korea-U.S. relations and facilitate communication.

However, it is merely contact with the Biden administration, which has less than a month left in its term, and the South Korean government is struggling to communicate with the Trump transition team.

[Kim Hong-kyun/First Vice Minister of Foreign Affairs: "There are currently no plans to meet with officials from the Trump transition team."]

While South Korea is hesitating, major countries around the world are mobilizing all their resources and connections to engage with the President-elect Trump

Japan has leveraged its ties with former Prime Minister Abe and SoftBank Chairman Masayoshi Son's $100 billion investment to prompt discussions of a summit before the inauguration.

[Donald Trump/U.S. President-elect/Dec. 16: "Yes, I'd love to see the Prime Minister and we will do that. (Will that happen before the inauguration day?) It could. If they'd like to do that, I would do that. Yeah."]

As soon as faced with the threat of tariff bombs, Canadian Prime Minister Trudeau visited Trump’s residence, and French President Macron invited Trump to a ceremony at Notre-Dame Cathedral.

Seizing the opportunity, Ukrainian President Zelensky also stood closely beside Trump at this time.

On the other hand, the only known contact between South Korean figures and the Trump team is with Shinsegae Group Chairman Chung Yong-jin.

It is expected that the U.S. President-elect Trump will announce many measures related to U.S. troops in South Korea, tariffs, and North Korea issues from his first day in office.

The South Korean government is making every effort to strengthen communication channels, but there is now less than a month until Trump's inauguration.

This is Kim Ji-sook from KBS News in Washington.