south korea visit to white house

South Korea’s Yoon wows guests with rendition of ‘American Pie’ at White House state dinner

He was the guest of honor, but South Korea's leader wasn't supposed to deliver the performance of the night, too.

President Yoon Suk Yeol stole the show at Wednesday's White House state dinner with a rendition of his favorite song, "American Pie."

President Joe Biden led the acclaim for his counterpart's musical abilities, telling Yoon he had “no damn idea” he could sing.

The performance came hours after the pair announced an agreement to counter Kim Jong Un’s nuclear threats and following post-dinner entertainment. Yoon, a former prosecutor who was  elected South Korea’s leader last year , arrived Monday in Washington for a six-day state visit as the U.S. and South Korea mark the 70th anniversary of their alliance, which dates to the end of the Korean War. He will  address a joint meeting of Congress  on Thursday.

Guests in the State Dining Room were treated to a musical medley by three Broadway stars: Lea Salonga, Norm Lewis and Jessica Vosk.

The performance featured five classic Broadway hits: "This Is the Moment," "Happy Days Are Here Again," "On My Own," "Don’t Rain on My Parade" and "Somewhere."

After the Broadway trio finished their last song, first lady Jill Biden asked the trio to sing one more — a favorite song of Yoon’s.

The performers obliged with a rendition of Don McLean’s “American Pie,” which topped the Billboard chart 51 years ago and has been belted out at venues and karaoke bars around the world since.

Wednesday’s audience was no exception.

The two presidents then stood together onstage in conversation, with an interpreter revealing the chart-topping American classic was Yoon's favorite song in school.

“Well we want to hear you sing it,” Biden said to Yoon, to which the South Korean leader responded by taking the microphone and giving a brief rendition.

Wearing a black bow tie and tuxedo jacket with a South Korean flag pinned to his lapel, Yoon delivered the first few lines a cappella and continued crooning to huge cheers and a standing ovation from guests including Angelina Jolie.

“I understand that you like the guitar as well,” Biden said, handing a beaming Yoon an autographed guitar from Don McLean himself.

“The next state dinner we’re going to have,” Biden said, putting his arm around Yoon, “you’re looking at the entertainment.”

The hit song written by McLean was partly biographical.

The song "presents an abstract story of McLean’s life from the mid-1950s until the end of the 1960s, and at the same time it represents the evolution of popular music and politics over these years, from the lightness of the 1950s to the darkness of the late 1960s," an analysis of the song on McLean’s website said.

It has since become a symbol of American popular culture and soft power, transporting its touchstone cultural references to karaoke bars and venues around the world.

The musical performance comes days after Yoon told NBC News in an exclusive interview that the recent leak of classified Defense Department documents will not affect the relationship between the two countries.

Aina J. Khan is a freelance reporter with NBC News.

We've detected unusual activity from your computer network

To continue, please click the box below to let us know you're not a robot.

Why did this happen?

Please make sure your browser supports JavaScript and cookies and that you are not blocking them from loading. For more information you can review our Terms of Service and Cookie Policy .

For inquiries related to this message please contact our support team and provide the reference ID below.

Stay up to date with notifications from The Independent

Notifications can be managed in browser preferences.

UK Edition Change

• UK Politics
• News Videos
• Paris 2024 Olympics
• Rugby Union
• Sport Videos
• John Rentoul
• Mary Dejevsky
• Andrew Grice
• Sean O’Grady
• Photography
• Theatre & Dance
• Culture Videos
• Food & Drink
• Health & Families
• Royal Family
• Electric Vehicles
• Car Insurance deals
• Lifestyle Videos
• UK Hotel Reviews
• News & Advice
• Simon Calder
• Australia & New Zealand
• South America
• C. America & Caribbean
• Middle East
• Politics Explained
• News Analysis
• Today’s Edition
• Home & Garden
• Broadband deals
• Fashion & Beauty
• Travel & Outdoors
• Sports & Fitness
• Sustainable Living
• Climate Videos
• Solar Panels
• Behind The Headlines
• On The Ground
• Decomplicated
• You Ask The Questions
• Binge Watch
• Travel Smart
• Watch on your TV
• Crosswords & Puzzles
• Most Commented
• Newsletters
• Ask Me Anything
• Virtual Events
• Betting Sites
• Online Casinos
• Wine Offers

Thank you for registering

Please refresh the page or navigate to another page on the site to be automatically logged in Please refresh your browser to be logged in

Watch: Biden welcomes South Korean president to White House

Article bookmarked.

Find your bookmarks in your Independent Premium section, under my profile

The latest headlines from our reporters across the US sent straight to your inbox each weekday

Your briefing on the latest headlines from across the us, thanks for signing up to the evening headlines email.

Joe Biden welcomed South Korean president Yoon Suk Yeol to the White House during his state visit to the US on Wednesday, 26 April.

The world leaders will sign an agreement that includes plans to have U.S. nuclear-armed submarines dock in South Korea for the first time in more than 40 years.

The agreement is seen as a show of support to Seoul amid a periof of heightened anxiety for both leaders over an increased pace of ballistic missile tests by North Korea over the last several months.

Yoon opened his state visit to Washington on Tuesday by touring a NASA facility with Vice President Kamala Harris.

“Our alliance is leading on some of the most important and pressing issues of our time,” Harris said in remarks at the NASA facility.

Click here to sign up for our newsletters.

Join our commenting forum

Join thought-provoking conversations, follow other Independent readers and see their replies

Subscribe to Independent Premium to bookmark this article

Want to bookmark your favourite articles and stories to read or reference later? Start your Independent Premium subscription today.

New to The Independent?

Or if you would prefer:

Want an ad-free experience?

Hi {{indy.fullName}}

• My Independent Premium
• Account details
• Help centre

Watch CBS News

Biden to host 2nd state visit, welcoming South Korean leader Yoon Suk Yeol to White House

March 7, 2023 / 11:15 AM EST / CBS/AP

Washington — President Biden will host the second state visit of his administration, for South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol, the White House announced on Tuesday.

White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre said the April 26 visit, which will include a fancy state dinner, will celebrate the 70th anniversary of the alliance between the United States and South Korea, ties she said are "critical to advancing peace, stability, and prosperity for our two countries, the Indo-Pacific, and around the world."

Yoon will be joined by first lady Kim Keon Hee.

The U.S. has been trying to strengthen its relationships in Asia as a counterbalance to China's rising influence. Mr. Biden visited South Korea and Japan last year, and he's prodded the pair of critical U.S. allies to mend relations with each other.

The impasse stems from the history of Japanese colonialism on the Korean peninsula, and Yoon recently announced a plan to resolve longstanding disputes over compensation for slave labor.

Mr. Biden said he was encouraged by the development, saying "our countries are stronger — and the world is safer and more prosperous — when we stand together."

Mr. Biden's first state visit was for French President Emmanuel Macron in December.

• South Korea
• Karine Jean-Pierre
• Emmanuel Macron

More from CBS News

White House Correspondents' Dinner overshadowed by protests

CBS News poll: Biden-Trump race tight in Michigan, Pennsylvania, Wisconsin

Biden touts labor endorsements, but members worry about Trump's "cultish" support

China-U.S. ties "beginning to stabilize," but it won't be an easy road

Programs submenu

Regions submenu, topics submenu, the future of the indo-pacific with the coast guard commandant, breaking bad: south korea's nuclear option, the future of u.s. lng exports: a conversation with rep. sean casten and rep. garret graves, strengthening u.s. critical minerals security: a fireside conversation with frank fannon.

• Abshire-Inamori Leadership Academy
• Aerospace Security Project
• Africa Program
• Americas Program
• Arleigh A. Burke Chair in Strategy
• Asia Maritime Transparency Initiative
• Asia Program
• Australia Chair
• Brzezinski Chair in Global Security and Geostrategy
• Brzezinski Institute on Geostrategy
• Chair in U.S.-India Policy Studies
• China Power Project
• Chinese Business and Economics
• Defending Democratic Institutions
• Defense-Industrial Initiatives Group
• Defense 360
• Defense Budget Analysis
• Diversity and Leadership in International Affairs Project
• Economics Program
• Emeritus Chair in Strategy
• Energy Security and Climate Change Program
• Europe, Russia, and Eurasia Program
• Freeman Chair in China Studies
• Futures Lab
• Geoeconomic Council of Advisers
• Global Food and Water Security Program
• Global Health Policy Center
• Hess Center for New Frontiers
• Human Rights Initiative
• Humanitarian Agenda
• Intelligence, National Security, and Technology Program
• International Security Program
• Japan Chair
• Kissinger Chair
• Korea Chair
• Langone Chair in American Leadership
• Middle East Program
• Missile Defense Project
• Project on Critical Minerals Security
• Project on Fragility and Mobility
• Project on Nuclear Issues
• Project on Prosperity and Development
• Project on Trade and Technology
• Renewing American Innovation Project
• Scholl Chair in International Business
• Smart Women, Smart Power
• Southeast Asia Program
• Stephenson Ocean Security Project
• Strategic Technologies Program
• Transnational Threats Project
• Wadhwani Center for AI and Advanced Technologies
• All Regions
• Australia, New Zealand & Pacific
• Middle East
• Russia and Eurasia
• American Innovation
• Civic Education
• Climate Change
• Cybersecurity
• Defense Budget and Acquisition
• Defense and Security
• Energy and Sustainability
• Food Security
• Gender and International Security
• Geopolitics
• Global Health
• Human Rights
• Humanitarian Assistance
• Intelligence
• International Development
• Maritime Issues and Oceans
• Missile Defense
• Nuclear Issues
• Transnational Threats
• Water Security

An Assessment of President Yoon’s State Visit to the White House

Photo: Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images

Critical Questions by Victor Cha

Published May 1, 2023

South Korean president Yoon Suk Yeol’s visit to the White House on April 26 was the fifth meeting with President Biden since their first summit held in Seoul in May 2022. The two leaders have built a good rapport through their continued engagement on the sidelines of the NATO Summit last summer, UN General Assembly in New York City this past fall, and the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) Summit in Phnom Penh last November.

Q1: What is the significance of Yoon being granted a state visit?

A1: A state visit is the highest honor bestowed by the White House on a visiting head of state. This was only the second such visit offered by the Biden administration (the other was to France) in large part because 2023 marks the 70th anniversary of the U.S.-Republic of Korea (ROK) alliance. The Biden administration also wishes to show strong support for Yoon’s foreign policy agenda which has shifted to deepening strategic ties with the United States and away from the hedging strategy of the previous administration.

Q2: What was the biggest takeaway from the summit?

A2: Aside from setting a high bar for musical performances by future world leaders at the White House, the main deliverable of the summit was the  Washington Declaration . The declaration is the closest the alliance has come to a shared decisionmaking framework for the use of nuclear weapons in Korea, and effectively has committed the two allies to a nuclear planning group in the establishment of the Nuclear Consultation Group (NCG). NCG activities will include joint nuclear planning and execution concerning U.S. nuclear operations in a contingency, as well as exercising with U.S. Strategic Command. The United States also will maintain a regular rotation of air- and sea-based nuclear capable assets, starting with a nuclear ballistic missile submarine to South Korea for the first time since 1981. While this is not tantamount to the return of tactical nuclear weapons to the peninsula (as advocated by some), it does represent a presence of nuclear capable assets around the peninsula for deterrence and assurance purposes. The declaration is a significant document that sharpens the meaning and execution of the U.S. nuclear guarantee and will sit alongside the 1953 Mutual Defense Treaty. While this was not part of the declaration, the two sides also agreed in to education and training on nuclear deterrence for ROK military personnel.

Nevertheless, like most major documents or statements, the Washington Declaration has met some criticism in South Korea both from progressives and conservatives. The progressive opposition party has denounced the summit outcomes for warmongering and some from the conservative camp have criticized Yoon’s reaffirmation of South Korea’s nonnuclear status and compliance with the Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT) during the summit. Neither criticism really holds water. Rather than warmongering, the Washington Declaration tries to address South Korean concerns that nuclear deterrence may not be strong enough to prevent North Korea from disturbing the peace. Yoon's statement on the NPT is simply a reiteration of existing South Korea policy, and is a responsible statement given all the loose talk and polling lately regarding nuclear weapons in South Korea. To have expected him to disavow the NPT during the summit would have been absurd.

Q3: Besides North Korea and extended deterrence, were there other noteworthy deliverables for the alliance?

A3: Yes, a lot. The two leaders used the 70th anniversary of the alliance to highlight and build the so-called New Frontiers agenda of the relationship. First, Biden and Yoon both featured the global nature of the alliance providing not just private goods to each party but also public goods for the world. Biden supported Yoon’s new global agenda, including hosting the next Democracy Summit, partnering with NATO (as member of NATO Asia-Pacific partners), and partnering with the G7. Yoon made about the boldest statements for an Asian leader on Ukraine, featured at the top of the joint statement, condemning Russia for war and for attacks against civilians and civilian infrastructure. The reference to attacks on civilians lines up with previous conditions Yoon has laid out for sending lethal equipment to Ukraine. Yoon has little room to maneuver under the current law, but his inclinations on this issue are clear as evidenced in this document and in his speech before a joint session of Congress.

Second, the two leaders used the summit to make significant progress on several New Frontier issues. There was a new joint statement on U.S.-ROK cooperation in quantum information science and technology and a new high-level Next Generation Critical and Emerging Technologies Dialogue (led by national security advisers). The two sides also agreed to establish a U.S.-ROK Strategic Cybersecurity Cooperation Framework. And it appears as though some streamlining of export controls policies will allow for more collaboration in space, that will facilitate more commercial and governmental cooperation in space. The two sides also affirmed continued cooperation on artificial intelligence (AI), biotechnology, medical products using AI, and biomanufacturing.

Q4: What are the takeaways on North Korean denuclearization and trilateral relations with the United States, Korea, and Japan?

A4: Biden and Yoon reiterated their commitment to diplomacy and denuclearization of North Korea, which was expected. The two put more emphasis, however, on human rights abuses in North Korea and also made explicit reference to aspirations for Korean unification in the joint statement, which was not seen in U.S. joint statements with the previous government.

On Japan, Biden made reference to Yoon’s “political courage” and leadership to take the initiative to improve South Korea's relations with Japan. This has become a regular adulation by White House officials regarding Yoon’s efforts with Japan. Behind the scenes, White House officials have expressed some frustration with the tepid response from Tokyo on the forced labor compensation deal and hope that Kishida will use an upcoming visit to South Korea in early May to do more. Biden and Yoon also made reference to economic security dialogues bilaterally and trilaterally with Japan. The latter suggests U.S. acceptance of a Yoon-proposed 2+2+2 on economic security.

Q5: How will China react to the U.S.-ROK summit?

A5: China will respond negatively to the summit. Yoon agreed to regularize anti-submarine and missile defense exercises, information-sharing, interdiction, anti-piracy, and also the Humanitarian Assistance and Disaster Relief (HADR) trilateral exercises with the United States and Japan. The commitment to missile defense exercises, China would say, is a violation of the “three no’s” agreement of the previous administration. The United States and South Korea also made a very strong (and new) statement on opposing economic coercion which clearly refers to China (though unnamed). South Korea also agreed to a new and strong statement on opposing any changes to the status quo in the Taiwan Straits through use of force, as well as “unlawful maritime claims, the militarization of reclaimed features, and coercive activities” in the South China Sea. All of these are new major statements that will surely anger China, as they demonstrate a clear shift by South Korea to the United States and away from the previous hedging strategy.

Q6: Were there any big deliverables on economic/trade issues?

A6: The Biden administration’s acknowledgment of the intent to work closely with the Yoon government on the Inflation Reduction Act (IRA), CHIPS and Science Act, and export controls suggests that going forward, there might be more consultation with Korea and other key partners on rule-making rather than unilateral disclosures. Yet there was no sense that any new measures had been offered at this summit. However, it is noteworthy that U.S. companies have announced about $5.9 billion investments into South Korea, including from Netflix and Corning.

On climate change, both sides reiterated their Nationally Determined Contributions under the Paris Agreement. They also remained committed to nuclear energy cooperation, but no apparent resolution was reached on the legal dispute between Westinghouse and KEPCO, which will hold up any further collaboration.

Victor Cha is senior vice president for Asia and Korea Chair at the Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS) in Washington, D.C.

Critical Questions is produced by the Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS), a private, tax-exempt institution focusing on international public policy issues. Its research is nonpartisan and nonproprietary. CSIS does not take specific policy positions. Accordingly, all views, positions, and conclusions expressed in this publication should be understood to be solely those of the author(s).

© 2024 by the Center for Strategic and International Studies. All rights reserved.

Programs & Projects

We’re sorry, this site is currently experiencing technical difficulties. Please try again in a few moments. Exception: request blocked

Biden welcomes South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol to White House

The visit comes as the white house announced steps designed to deter north korea from launching a nuclear attack on south korea., april 26, 2023, what’s next for russia, what comes next after texas school shooting, what's next for abortion rights in america, the new battle for voting rights, how we can build a clean and renewable future, the fight for kyiv, examining extremism in the military, gun violence: an american epidemic, border crisis: what’s happening at the us-mexico border, remembering george floyd: a year of protest, the source of covid-19: what we know, how did the gamestop stock spike on wall street happen, why are people hesitant to trust a covid-19 vaccine, how climate change and forest management make wildfires harder to contain, disparity in police response: black lives matter protests and capitol riot, 2020 in review: a year unlike any other, examined: how putin keeps power, why don’t the electoral college and popular vote always match up, us crosses 250,000 coronavirus deaths, 2nd impeachment trial: what this could mean for trump, presidential transition of power: examined, how donald trump spent his last days as president, how joe biden's inauguration will be different from previous years, belarus’ ongoing protests: examined, trump challenges the vote and takes legal action, 2020’s dnc and rnc are different than any before, what is happening with the usps, voting in 2020 during covid-19, disinformation in 2020, abc news specials on, impact x nightline: on the brink, impact x nightline: unboxing shein, the lady bird diaries, impact x nightline: it's britney, impact x nightline: natalee holloway -- a killer confesses, impact x nightline: who shot tupac, impact x nightline, power trip: those who seek power and those who chase them, the murders before the marathon, the ivana trump story: the first wife, mormon no more, leave no trace: a hidden history of the boy scouts, keeper of the ashes: the oklahoma girl scout murders, the orphans of covid: america's hidden toll, superstar: patrick swayze, the kardashians -- an abc news special, 24 months that changed the world, have you seen this man.

Trade tensions and spy leaks loom over South Korean president’s White House visit

• Show more sharing options
• Copy Link URL Copied!

South Korean President Yoon Suk-yeol has received the red-carpet treatment this week as Washington and Seoul mark the 70th anniversary of their alliance. Yoon’s weeklong itinerary features a high-profile summit with President Biden, a glittering state banquet — an honor reserved for America’s closest allies — and a joint address to Congress.

But beneath the pomp and ceremony, thorny issues are at stake.

South Korean companies are worried about how Biden’s efforts to promote American manufacturing and limit the growth of China’s high-tech sector might affect them. And earlier this year, a leak of classified Pentagon documents revealed details of U.S. espionage against South Korea, embarrassing both countries and causing political headaches for Yoon.

Both countries are also hoping to counter North Korea’s aggressive missile testing. The two leaders unveiled a new agreement Wednesday to bolster extended deterrence — the idea that the U.S. will defend its allies with its full military capabilities, including nuclear weapons — in response to mounting threats from North Korea.

Called the Washington Declaration, the agreement will give South Korea more insight and input into U.S. military planning and strengthen training between the two nations in exchange for Seoul’s commitment to not develop its own nuclear weapons.

The U.S. will also send a ballistic missile submarine on routine visits to South Korea for the first time since the 1980s as a visible demonstration of U.S. military might.

Biden called the nations’ alliance “ironclad” and delivered a stark warning to Pyongyang during a joint news conference Wednesday afternoon in the White House Rose Garden.

“A nuclear attack by North Korea against the United States or its allies and partners is unacceptable and will result in the end of whatever regime were to take such an action,” he said, adding that the U.S. remained open to diplomatic talks to “bolster stability on the peninsula.”

Yoon vowed to respond to any nuclear attack “swiftly, overwhelmingly and decisively using the full force of the alliance, including U.S. nuclear weapons.”

The two leaders rolled out a suite of other initiatives to cooperate on cybersecurity, economic investments and other areas to further solidify the alliance in the face of North Korea’s record number of nuclear missile tests this year.

Yoon’s visit is a “springboard for connecting Korea to this broader web of alliance relationships in the region, whether we’re talking about security cooperation [or] economic security issues ... and interacting with other stakeholders in the region, including Southeast Asian countries and Pacific Islands,” said Nicholas Szechenyi, deputy director for Asia at the Center for Strategic and International Studies, a Washington-based think tank.

Yoon, a conservative politician who came to office last year, has made fortifying military and diplomatic ties with the U.S. a centerpiece of his foreign policy.

He has resumed joint military exercises with the United States, coordinated with the U.S. to decrease reliance on China for global supply chains and, more critically, thawed relations with Japan despite a bitter historical dispute over Korean forced labor during Tokyo’s colonial rule — a decision that prompted domestic backlash.

At Wednesday’s news conference, Biden thanked him for his “political courage and personal commitment to diplomacy with Japan.”

While North Korea is a priority and a perennial issue for the U.S. and South Korea that both countries are aligned on, “the subtext is China,” according to Victor Cha, Korea chair at the Center for Strategic and International Studies.

As Washington intensifies its economic confrontation with Beijing, Biden is working to shore up U.S. influence throughout the Indo-Pacific region. He will host Philippine President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. at the White House next week, and is set to travel to Japan for the Group of 7 summit in Hiroshima on May 19-21.

Biden has tried to quiet South Korean companies’ concerns about their ineligibility for subsidies under his Inflation Reduction Act, which provides tax credits for electric vehicles that are assembled in North America or include key components that are sourced domestically.

Before Yoon arrived at the White House, General Motors and South Korea’s Hyundai announced billions in new investment to produce electric vehicle battery cells in the U.S. with South Korean battery makers.

But Biden also faces friction over the $50-billion CHIPS and Science Act. The law gives federal funds to semiconductor manufacturers that agree to limit advanced chip production in China over the next 10 years. U.S. export controls on computer chip equipment designed to choke China’s access to the advanced technology have also rankled Seoul. Japan and the Netherlands have imposed similar restrictions.

South Korean companies Samsung and SK Hynix received a one-year exemption from the U.S. export ban, but a solution will have to be negotiated when it expires in October.

“South Korea is very much reliant on its semiconductor industry as part of its broader economic strength, and that industry is heavily invested in China,” said Frank Aum, an expert on Northeastern Asia at the U.S. Institute of Peace.

Yoon is under pressure to return from his visit to the White House with further assurance of Washington’s dedication to trade arrangements and defense against the nuclear-armed Pyongyang as he looks to smooth over relations following the leak of classified U.S. documents.

The leaked intelligence showed that top South Korean officials were concerned that ammunition South Korea sold to the U.S. would wind up in Ukraine, violating Seoul’s policy of not supplying lethal aid to countries in conflict. The revelation prompted criticism among South Koreans, but White House officials have brushed off any tensions caused by the breach.

Yoon told reporters the two nations were “communicating and sharing necessary information,” but declined to say whether Biden had provided him any assurances.

Scott Snyder, senior fellow for Korea studies at the Council on Foreign Relations, said that today’s relationship with Seoul has to be “an alliance powered by chips, batteries and clean technology,” but that there are “drag” issues that complicate ties, including the leaked Pentagon documents and the South Korean public’s reluctance to get involved in Ukraine.

“It’s a little bit ironic, because I think that the alliance is probably at its highest point that it’s been, maybe in the [70-year] history of the alliance, in terms of intensity and depth of coordination and ... breadth of scope,” Snyder said. “And yet, at the same time, there are these underlying issues of trust that are there that could trip things up and might have a negative impact on President Yoon’s public approval.”

Yoon began his six-day visit on Tuesday by touring a NASA facility with Vice President Kamala Harris, and later laid a wreath at the Korean War Veterans Memorial with his wife, Kim Keon-hee, Biden and First Lady Jill Biden.

He also met with Netflix co-Chief Executive Ted Sarandos, who announced the streaming giant would invest $2.5 billion in Korean entertainment over the next four years.

Yoon is expected to meet with studio executives from Disney, Sony Pictures and others at the Motion Picture Assn. headquarters in Washington on Thursday.

“It’s a new frontier for the alliance,” Cha said, “beyond the sort of traditional security and free trade components of the relationship.”

More to Read

North Korea stresses alignment with Russia against U.S. and says Putin could visit at an early date

Jan. 21, 2024

South Korea, Japan and China agree to resume trilateral leaders’ summit, but without specific date

Nov. 26, 2023

South Korea partially suspends inter-Korean agreement after North’s satellite launch

Nov. 22, 2023

Start your day right

Sign up for Essential California for news, features and recommendations from the L.A. Times and beyond in your inbox six days a week.

You may occasionally receive promotional content from the Los Angeles Times.

Courtney Subramanian is a White House reporter for the Los Angeles Times in Washington, D.C.

Tracy Wilkinson covers foreign affairs from the Los Angeles Times’ Washington, D.C., bureau.

Kent Nishimura is a former staff photographer with the Los Angeles Times, based in Washington, D.C. Born in Taiwan, Nishimura immigrated to the United States, grew up in Hawaii and is a graduate of the University of Hawaii at Manoa. His work has been recognized by Pictures of the Year International, the National Headliner Awards, the White House News Photographers Assn. and the National Press Photographers Assn., among others. He has worked on staff at newspapers across the United States and freelanced for many national and international publications before joining The Times in 2017.

More From the Los Angeles Times

World & Nation

10 people are shot amid fight at a Florida party venue; teen is arrested

April 28, 2024

Putin likely didn’t order death of Russian opposition leader Navalny, U.S. official says

Police officer hiring in U.S. increased in 2023 after years of decline, survey shows

Oklahoma governor declares state of emergency for 12 tornado-battered counties

Biden to host South Korea's Yoon for April 26 state visit

• Medium Text

Sign up here.

Reporting by Susan Heavey and David Brunnstrom in Washington and Josh Smith in Seoul Editing by Doina Chiacu and Matthew Lewis

Our Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles. New Tab , opens new tab

World Chevron

What polling can (and can't) tell you

On Nov. 5, election officials across America will count more than 150 million ballots to answer a burning political question: Who will be president of the United States? Until then, the best signals we can get will mostly come from public opinion polls, which will be the fuel of endless debate on who has the lead, Democrat Joe Biden or Republican Donald Trump. But what do polls really tell us? Lik

The European Union has decided to restrict its visa provisions for Ethiopian nationals due to a lack of co-operation from Ethiopia's government over repatriating those who stay illegally, the EU Council said on Monday.

The Straits Times

• International
• Print Edition
• news with benefits
• SPH Rewards
• STClassifieds
• Berita Harian
• Hardwarezone
• Shin Min Daily News
• Tamil Murasu
• The Business Times
• The New Paper
• Lianhe Zaobao
• Advertise with us

Biden to host South Korea's Yoon for state visit on April 26: White House

WASHINGTON - US President Joe Biden will host South Korean President Yoon Suk-yeol for a state visit on April 26, said the White House on Tuesday.

“The upcoming visit celebrates the 70th anniversary of the US-ROK alliance, which is critical to advancing peace, stability and prosperity for our two countries, the Indo-Pacific and around the world,” White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre said in a statement, referring to the Republic of Korea, the official name for South Korea.

The visit will highlight the United States’ “unwavering commitment” to South Korea, she said.

The state visit is the second of Mr Biden’s time in office, she added.

The US and South Korea have been holding increasing numbers of joint drills in the face of growing warnings from nuclear-armed North Korea.

Pyongyang has conducted a wave of banned weapons tests in recent months. 

North Korea has said its nuclear weapons and missile programmes are for self-defence, and has bristled over US-South Korea military exercises, describing them as rehearsals for an invasion.

It warned earlier on Tuesday that it would be a “clear declaration of war” if its missiles were shot down during their test launches over the Pacific Ocean. 

Later in March, the US and South Korean militaries will hold their largest joint drills in five years. 

Ahead of those exercises, scheduled for at least 10 days starting on March 13, the allies held air drills featuring a nuclear-capable US B-52 heavy bomber. 

North Korea’s Foreign Ministry accused the US of “intentionally” ramping up tensions. REUTERS, AFP

Join ST's Telegram channel and get the latest breaking news delivered to you.

• United States
• South Korea
• Yoon Suk-yeol

Read 3 articles and stand to win rewards

Spin the wheel now

실시간 주요 뉴스 PUSH 알림서비스를 구독할 수 있습니다.

korea joongAng daily

Home > national > diplomacy.

Yoon Suk Yeol to make state visit to U.S. from April 24 to 29

Kim Tae-hyo, principal deputy national security adviser, speaks on President Yoon Suk Yeol’s state visit to the United State next week in a press briefing at the Yongsan presidential office in central Seoul on Thursday. [NEWS1]

More in Diplomacy

South Korea, Cuba to set up permanent missions in each other's capitals

U.S. deputy secretary of state says Yoon and Kishida deserve Nobel Peace Prize

Nicaragua to close embassy in Korea again 10 years after first closure

Korea, Romania agree to strengthen strategic partnership at summit

Foreign minister focuses on geopolitical crises at gathering of mission heads in Seoul

Related Stories

South Korea downplays alleged U.S. spying on allies

Korea, U.S. could expand intelligence partnership to include Japan

President Yoon Suk Yeol embarks on state visit to the United States

Yoon to make state visit to United States in April, hold summit

Yoon's delegation discusses more strategic assets in D.C.

You might also like

To write comments, please log in to one of the accounts.

Standards Board Policy (0/250자)

Biden, South Korea to increase signs of military power as show of force against North Korea

WASHINGTON – President Joe Biden  announced Wednesday that he is increasing demonstrations of military might in the Indo-Pacific and expanding collaboration with South Korea in hopes of deterring an attack by North Korea.

In exchange, South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol reaffirmed his nation's commitment not to develop its own nuclear weapons.

Biden and Yoon delivered the joint statement after a bilateral meeting at the White House. It's the centerpiece of the new initiatives on cybersecurity, economic investments and more that the leaders are rolling out during Yoon's state visit marking the 70th anniversary of the alliance between the two nations.

"Our nuclear defense treaty is ironclad," Biden said, standing next to the South Korean leader on the White House South Lawn. "And that includes our commitment to extended deterrence."

The two leaders took a few steps from their podiums to shake hands as Biden thanked Yoon for his "friendship and partnership."

Prep for the polls: See who is running for president and compare where they stand on key issues in our Voter Guide

Earlier in the day, Biden greeted Yoon and Kim Keon Hee, first lady of the Republic of Korea, during an arrival ceremony Wednesday morning that honored Korean War veterans as military bands played the anthems of both nations. 

Yoon, speaking through an English translator, said the U.S.-South Korean alliance is "not a transactional relationship" based on self-interests but "an alliance of values, standing together to safeguard the universal value of freedom." 

Stay in the conversation on politics: Sign up for the OnPolitics newsletter

'Let's finish the job': President Joe Biden announces much awaited 2024 reelection bid

South Korea benefits from the protection of the U.S. “nuclear umbrella,” the main deterrent against attacks from North Korea.

Biden said a nuclear attack by North Korea against the United States or its partners would "result in the end of whatever regime, were it to take such an action." 

But North Korea’s aggressive missile testing and lack of interest in denuclearization talks has raised concerns in South Korea that more needs to be done.

The creation of a joint consultation group is intended to increase the confidence in the U.S. of not just Seoul but also the South Korean people. The South Korean government will be given more insight into U.S. military planning and a voice in those deliberations, according to a senior administration official.

Biden made clear that as commander-in-chief he has “absolute” and “sole authority” to use a nuclear weapon. “What the declaration means is that we're going to make every effort to consult with our allies, when it's appropriate, if any actions so call for it,” he said.

The U.S. will also increase public demonstrations of strength, such as sending a ballistic missile submarine on visits to South Korea for the first time since the 1980s.

“This is a new level of extended deterrence, much stronger,” Yoon said through an interpreter.

Yoon took office last year after a closely contested election in which he vowed to bolster South Korea's defenses against North Korea. 

• Second state visit: This is only the second state visit Biden has hosted. The first was last fall’s summit with French President Emmanuel Macron. The last state visit with South Korea was hosted by President Barack Obama in 2011.
• Gifts exchanged:  Biden and first lady Jill Biden gave Yoon a small, handcrafted mahogany table made of historical White House wood by a U.S. furniture maker and inspired by traditional Korean soban tables. The president also presented Yoon with a shadow box set with custom and vintage baseball memorabilia, while Jill Biden presented Kim with a pendant necklace with blue sapphires designed by a Korean American designer.
• Why now: The two nations are marking the 70th anniversary of their alliance. In addition, the U.S. has been trying to strengthen its relationships in Asia as a counterbalance to China’s increasing economic and military might. During his visit to South Korea last May, Biden said “revitalizing” the alliance between the nations was one of his “key foreign policy priorities.”
• The schedule: In addition to their private meetings Wednesday, Biden and Yoon will  attend a state dinner, a diplomatic honor reserved for the U.S.’s closest allies. Yoon will address a joint House and Senate meeting Thursday. While he’s in the U.S., Yoon also has trips to NASA, the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Harvard University and is meeting with the CEOs of entertainment companies like Disney, Netflix and Sony Pictures.
• Economic collaboration and conflict: The Biden administration has touted South Korea’s billions of dollars in economic investments in the U.S., including in electric vehicle manufacturing, one of the ways the administration wants to strengthen supply chains while creating jobs. But South Korea is concerned how U.S. restrictions on technology exports to China will affect South Korean companies that make semiconductors there.

Pentagon leak complicates state visit

The state visit was complicated by the leak of classified documents that included evidence the U.S. has been spying on allies. It was an embarrassment for the Biden administration and caused Yoon political headaches back home, making it more important that Yoon be able to show he’s getting something from the summit. That could include announcements on expanded economic cooperation or more efforts to deter North Korea’s belligerence.

'Embarrassing wrench': How Pentagon leak complicates South Korean president's state visit with Biden

Ukraine likely to be discussed

Leaked intelligence indicates top advisers to Yoon were concerned ammunition South Korea agreed to sell the U.S. to refill its stockpiles would wind up in Ukraine. South Korea does not send lethal weapons to countries at war, but the trove of documents – which U.S. officials have neither verified nor disavowed – suggested that Yoon's government was considering a policy shift.

Yoon told Reuters last week it would be difficult for South Korea to stay on the sidelines of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine “if there is a situation the international community cannot condone, such as any large-scale attack on civilians, massacre or serious violation of the laws of war."

It’s too early to tell if South Korea is ready to amp up support beyond humanitarian assistance, said Ellen Kim, an expert on U.S.-Korea relations at the Center for Strategic and International Studies. But given the increased cooperation between Russia and North Korea, South Korea finds it “increasingly difficult to avoid entrapment in Ukraine,” Kim said.

President Biden Welcomes South Korean President to White House

President Biden and first lady Jill Biden greeted the president and first lady of South Korea in an official arrival ceremony on the White H… read more

President Biden and first lady Jill Biden greeted the president and first lady of South Korea in an official arrival ceremony on the White House’s South Lawn. Both presidents delivered brief remarks focused on the importance and strength of the U.S.-South Korean alliance. close

Javascript must be enabled in order to access C-SPAN videos.

Points of Interest

For quick viewing, C-SPAN provides Points of Interest markers for some events. Click the play button and tap the screen to see the at the bottom of the player. Tap the to see a complete list of all Points of Interest - click on any moment in the list and the video will play.

• Text type Full Transcript Text People Graphical Timeline
• Filter by Speaker All Speakers Joe Biden Yoon Suk Yeol
• Search this text

*This text was compiled from uncorrected Closed Captioning.

For quick viewing, C-SPAN provides Points of Interest markers for some events. Click the play button and move your cursor over the video to see the . Click on the marker to see the description and watch. You can also click the in the lower left of the video player to see a complete list of all Points of Interest from this program - click on any moment in the list and the video will play.

People in this video

Hosting Organization

• White House White House

Airing Details

• Apr 26, 2023 | 10:02pm EDT | C-SPAN 1
• Apr 27, 2023 | 3:35am EDT | C-SPAN 1
• Apr 29, 2023 | 1:04pm EDT | C-SPAN 1

Related Video

President Biden and South Korean President Give Toasts During State Dinner

President Biden and South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol gave toasts reaffirming the two countries' strong relationship …

Guests Arrive for White House State Dinner

Attendees including lawmakers, Cabinet secretaries, and distinguished guests arrived for the White House State Dinner ho…

President Biden Meets with South Korean President

President Biden and South Korean President Yoon Suk-yeol delivered remarks to reporters ahead of a bilateral meeting in …

President Biden and South Korean President Joint News Conference

“Our nations' relationship has been a great success story--an alliance formed in war, and it has flourished in peace,” s…

U.S. & World

Bergen school choir performs at the White House for South Korean president's state visit

3-minute read.

In early April, Bergen County Principal Hyunjoo Hwang Kim got an email from The White House.

"One of the White House staff said he saw our performance from a few years ago when we were in D.C. and asked if we wanted to come to the White House," Kim recalled this week in an interview. "And we said 'Yes.' And that's how we were invited."

Several weeks later, on April 26, the Children’s Choir of the Bergen-based Korean School of New Jersey performed twice during the official state visit by South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol and the country's first lady, Kim Keon-hee, where they met with President Joe Biden and his wife, Jill.

Since 1983, the school has offered weekend classes in Korean language, culture, traditional dance, history, taekwondo and other subjects. About 400 students from across Bergen County are enrolled in its classes, which are offered at two campuses: Tenafly Middle School on Saturday morning and Tenakill Middle School in Closter on Friday afternoon and evening.

The Children's Choir has performed since 2014 and has appeared at various locales including the United Nations and Citi Field. But it's never taken as grand a stage as the White House, the principal said.

"The kids loved that they were going to see the president [Biden] and they were so excited, " Kim said. "They told their friends, and their friends asked them if they can get the president's autograph."

More than 168,000 New Jersey residents are of Korean ancestry , according to the Korean American Association of New Jersey. Bergen County is home to about 70% of the state's Korean population with large communities in towns such as Palisades Park and Fort Lee.

More: Celebrate AAPI Heritage Month in NJ with Bollywood music, lantern festival and more

Celebrating Asian Americans: Bill calls for Lunar New Year to get official nod in NJ

A White House show

At the White House, 39 members of the choir dressed in traditional Korean attire. They regaled an outdoor audience of 7,000 people who gathered on the South Lawn for an opening ceremony, according to Kim, with renditions of the Korean folk song, "Arirang," as well as "Tomorrow" from the musical "Annie."

Then, they were asked to give an encore.

"They told me they wanted us to sing again in the inside after the opening ceremony ," Kim said. " So that's how we got to go inside the White House and sing the same song in front of the presidents and the first ladies."

A video posted on the White House's official account shows the Bidens and the Korean president and his wife looking on as the choir performed "Arirang" again with conductor Hye Young Kang guiding them and Soobin Lee accompanying on piano.

After the second performance, Kim said, the South Korean president commended the kids and remarked that he remembered a smaller version of the choir when they performed last year during his visit to the United Nations. She said Biden and his wife were enthused by their performance as well.

"President Biden said, 'Welcome to the White House. And I want you to come back again next time.' And he shook hands with the kids, and we took a picture," Kim said.

The performance at the White House was an "unforgettable moment" that imbued a lot of pride in the students for their Korean American heritage, she said .

"They're still very excited. They have more confidence about themselves. I think these kids feel like they're really American because they met the president," Kim said. "We Korean Americans are a minority. I think they feel like they belong here more. The kids said they were so proud to be a Korean American."

Ricardo Kaulessar is a culture reporter for the USA TODAY Network's Atlantic Region How We Live team. For unlimited access to the most important news, please subscribe or activate your digital account today.

Email: [email protected]

Twitter: @ricardokaul

clock This article was published more than  1 year ago

Biden’s South Korea state dinner menu features fusion — and ice cream

As President Biden and first lady Jill Biden get set to host their second state dinner on Wednesday, this one to be held in honor of South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol , they seem to be developing a discernible black-tie entertaining style — at least when it comes to the food.

Just as they did for the dinner honoring visiting French President Emmanuel Macron in November, the Bidens are serving a menu that marries flourishes from the visiting delegation’s cuisines with their own classic tastes, according to a preview the White House offered on Monday. The first course perfectly captured that theme: It’s a Maryland crabcake, something that would be at home at country club luncheons across the mid-Atlantic, but here it’s accompanied by a slaw of cabbage, kohlrabi, radish, fennel and cucumber — ingredients that often find their way into the iconic Korean dish kimchi. Further underscoring the blending of cuisines, the dish is finished with a vinaigrette flavored with gochujang, spicy-sweet fermented paste that’s a staple condiment on Korean tables. (One potential quibble: It’s a little early in the season for fresh Maryland crabs, isn’t it?)

Jill Biden made clear that the symbolism on the plates — as well as the peony-strewn decor — was intentional. She said the evening’s aim was “honoring the 70 years of our alliance with symbols and moments of beauty that reflect both our countries.”

“We hope to showcase the harmony of our cultures and our people intertwined,” she said.

A yellow squash soup with cured strawberries is straight from the “Smoke and Pickles” cookbook of Edward Lee , the Korean American chef and TV personality, who the Bidens enlisted to help design the menu and work alongside White House executive chef Cristeta Comerford and White House executive pastry chef Susie Morrison for the Wednesday event. For the Korean guests, it gets an addition of perilla leaf, a mint-like herb that is the subject of a viral dating scenario for young Koreans.

The main course is another lesson in culinary cross-pollination. Beef short ribs, called galbi in Korean, are taken on a trip through the southern United States with sides of butter bean grits and carrots glazed with sorghum. It’s easy to see the fingerprints of Lee, who is best known as the host of the PBS series “Mind of a Chef.” He often employs sorghum, a syrup he sources from Kentucky, where he launched his restaurant career at the helm of 610 Magnolia in Louisville. (He’s also the culinary director for Succotash, which has locations in Washington and National Harbor in Maryland.) Lee’s style, which is influenced both by his family heritage and Southern foodways, make him a natural fit for the elevated mash-up style the Bidens have settled on for state dinners.

At the Monday preview of the menu and decor, Lee said it was ingredients he thought of first when planning the menu. “We want to lead with the seasons,” he said, noting that the butter beans taking the place of traditional dried corn were “herbaceous and green” and happily in-season. Then he took the same approach he does at his restaurants. “I wanted to take some of my favorite American foods and tinker with it a little bit,” he said. “And add a little bit of Korean touches so it’s familiar but unexpected.”

Gochujang gives a spicy, smoky and sweet boost to these 6 recipes

The addition of a guest chef is a return to a practice the Obamas frequently used to maximize the culinary diplomacy that’s always on the menu at state dinners: “Iron Chef” Masaharu Morimoto assisted when the couple hosted Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe; Anita Lo was in the kitchen for the dinner honoring Chinese President Xi Jinping. Celebrity chefs Rick Bayless, Marcus Samuelsson and Mario Batali were also among the ringers brought in to lend extra star power to the Obamas’ dinners.

One of the wines being poured at the Wednesday dinner has a diplomatic pedigree. The Schramsberg blanc de blancs is the same one that President Richard M. Nixon took with him on his historic peacemaking trip to China a half-century ago (though Nixon toasted the Chinese president with a glass of the 1969; the Bidens will raise over the dessert course the 2019). The menu also pairs a Ferdinand “Vista Luna Vineyard” albariño from 2020 with the first course and a Januik “Red Mountain” merlot from 2020 with the main.

And it wouldn’t be a Biden affair without ice cream, the president’s famously favorite sweet and a staple of his campaign-trail personality. For the state dinner’s final course, the selection is what might happen if an old-fashioned scoop shop went worldly: a banana split featuring lemon-bar ice cream and berries goes bold with a mint-gingersnap cookie crumble and caramel sauce accented with doenjang, a salty, fermented soybean paste. Edible flowers from the White House garden act as a colorful garnish.

“That was the first thing I was told,” Lee said, laughing. “Ice cream!”

Lee told reporters that the first person he called after being asked to guest-chef at the state dinner was his mother, who immigrated to the United States from Korea. “We struggled and we had amazing opportunities, and we’ve always felt this huge debt of gratitude to the United States of America,” he said. “So to come full circle and to give back and be able to do this was gratifying for me and for my mom.”

But what, a reporter asked, was her advice?

“She said, 'don’t mess it up.’”

Staff writer Travis Andrews contributed to this report.

Mobile Menu Overlay

The White House 1600 Pennsylvania Ave NW Washington, DC 20500

Fact Sheet: Vice President Harris Announces Historic Advancements in Long-Term Care to Support the Care   Economy

Actions are the latest in a series of steps the Biden-Harris Administration has taken to improve safety, provide support for care workers and family caregivers, and to expand access to affordable, high-quality care

Everyone deserves to be treated with dignity and respect and to have access to quality care. That’s why, today, Vice President Harris is announcing two landmark final rules that fulfill the President’s commitment to safety in care, improving access to long-term care and the quality of caregiving jobs. Ensuring that all Americans, including older Americans and people with disabilities, have access to care – including home-based care – that is safe, reliable, and of high quality is an important part of the President’s agenda and a part of the President’s broader commitment to care. Today’s announcements deliver on the President’s promise in the State of the Union to crack down on nursing homes that endanger resident safety as well as his historic Executive Order on Increasing Access to High-Quality Care and Supporting Caregivers , which included the most comprehensive set of executive actions any President has taken to improve care for millions of seniors and people with disabilities while supporting care workers and family caregivers.

Cracking Down on Inadequate Nursing Home Care

Medicare and Medicaid pay billions of dollars per year to ensure that 1.2 million Americans that receive care in nursing homes are cared for, yet too many nursing homes chronically understaff their facilities, leading to sub-standard or unsafe care. When facilities are understaffed, residents may go without basic necessities like baths, trips to the bathroom, and meals – and it is less safe when residents have a medical emergency. Understaffing can also have a disproportionate impact on women and people of color who make up a large proportion of the nursing home workforce because, without sufficient support, these dedicated workers can’t provide the care they know the residents deserve. In his 2022 State of the Union address, President Biden pledged that he would “protect seniors’ lives and life savings by cracking down on nursing homes that commit fraud, endanger patient safety, or prescribe drugs they don’t need.”

The Nursing Home Minimum Staffing Rule finalized today will require all nursing homes that receive federal funding through Medicare and Medicaid to have 3.48 hours per resident per day of total staffing, including a defined number from both registered nurses (0.55 hours per resident per day) and nurse aides (2.45 per resident per day). This means a facility with 100 residents would need at least two or three RNs and at least ten or eleven nurse aides as well as two additional nurse staff (which could be registered nurses, licensed professional nurses, or nurse aides) per shift to meet the minimum staffing standards. Many facilities would need to staff at a higher level based on their residents’ needs. It will also require facilities to have a registered nurse onsite 24 hours a day, seven days a week, to provide skilled nursing care, which will further improve nursing home safety. Adequate staffing is proven to be one of the measures most strongly associated with safety and good care outcomes.

To make sure nursing homes have the time they need to hire necessary staff, the requirements of this rule will be introduced in phases, with longer timeframes for rural communities. Limited, temporary exemptions will be available for both the 24/7 registered nurse requirement and the underlying staffing standards for nursing homes in workforce shortage areas that demonstrate a good faith effort to hire.

Strong transparency measures will ensure nursing home residents and their families are aware when a nursing home is using an exemption.

This rule will not only benefit residents and their families, it will also ensure that workers aren’t stretched too thin by having inadequate staff on site, which is currently a common reason for worker burnout and turnover. Workers who are on the frontlines interacting with residents and understanding their needs will also be given a voice in developing staffing plans for nursing homes. The Biden-Harris Administration also continues to invest in expanding the pipeline of nursing workers and other care workers, who are so essential to our economy, including through funding from the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services.

Improving Access to Home Care and the Quality of Home Care Jobs

Over seven million seniors and people with disabilities, alongside their families, rely on home and community-based services to provide for long-term care needs in their own homes and communities. This critical care is provided by a dedicated home care workforce, made up disproportionately by women of color, that often struggles to make ends meet due to low wages and few benefits. At the same time, home care is still very inaccessible for many Medicaid enrollees, with more than threequarters of home care providers not accepting new clients, leaving hundreds of thousands of older Americans and Americans with disabilities on waiting lists or struggling to afford the care they need.

The “Ensuring Access to Medicaid Services” final rule, finalized today, will help improve access to home care services as well as improve the quality caregiving jobs through its new provisions for home care. Specifically, the rule will ensure adequate compensation for home care workers by requiring that at least 80 percent of Medicaid payments for home care services go to workers’ wages. This policy would also allow states to take into account the unique experiences that small home care providers and providers in rural areas face while ensuring their employees receive their fair share of Medicaid payments and continued training as well as the delivery of quality care. Higher wages will likely reduce turnover, leading to higher quality of care for older adults and people with disabilities across the nation, as studies have shown. States will also be required to be more transparent in how much they pay for home care services and how they set those rates, increasing the accountability for home care providers. Finally, states will have to create a home care rate-setting advisory group made up of beneficiaries, home care workers and other key stakeholders to advise and consult on provider payment rates and direct compensation for direct care workers.

Strong Record on Improving Access to Care and Supporting Caregivers

Today’s new final rules are in addition to an already impressive track record on delivering on the President’s Executive Order on Care. Over the last year, the Biden-Harris Administration has:

• Increased pay for care workers, including by proposing a rule to gradually increase pay for Head Start teachers by about $10,000, to reach parity with the salaries of public preschool teachers.
• Cut child care costs for low-income families by finalizing a rule that will reduce or eliminate copayments for more than 100,000 working families, and lowering the cost of care for lower earning service members, thereby reducing the cost of child care for nearly two-thirds of children receiving care on military bases. Military families earning $45,000 would see a 34% decrease in the amount they pay for child care.
• Supported family caregivers by making it easier for family caregivers to access Medicare beneficiary information and provide more support as they prepare for their loved ones to be discharged from the hospital. The Administration has also expanded access to mental health services for tens of thousands of family caregivers who are helping veterans.

Stay Connected

We'll be in touch with the latest information on how President Biden and his administration are working for the American people, as well as ways you can get involved and help our country build back better.

Opt in to send and receive text messages from President Biden.

US, South Korea Outline Visions for Cost-Sharing on Troops, US Negotiator Says

FILE PHOTO: South Korean Anti-Aircraft Gun Wheeled Vehicle System participates in the joint river-crossing exercise conducted for South Korean and US soldiers in Yeoncheon, Gyeonggi province, South Korea, 20 March 2024. JEON HEON-KYUN/Pool via REUTERS/File Photo

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - U.S. and South Korean officials outlined respective visions for a new agreement on sharing the cost of keeping American troops in South Korea in talks this week and will continue to consult as necessary, the chief U.S. negotiator said on Friday.

The allies named envoys last month to launch early talks for a new deal to take effect in 2026. South Korean media said the aim was for an agreement before any November election comeback by former President Donald Trump, who during his presidency accused Seoul of "free-riding" on U.S. military might.

Ahead of a first round of talks in Hawaii from Tuesday to Thursday on a so-called 12th Special Measures Agreement (SMA), chief U.S. negotiator Linda Specht said Washington was seeking "a fair and equitable outcome."

In a brief statement on Friday, Specht said: "The United States and Republic of Korea outlined their respective visions for the 12th SMA ... We will continue to consult whenever necessary to further strengthen and sustain the Alliance under the 12th SMA."

A senior Biden administration official told Reuters last month the talks were on track and ahead of schedule but the U.S. did not see November as a "hard deadline."

More than 28,000 American troops are stationed in South Korea as part of efforts to deter nuclear-armed North Korea.

South Korea began shouldering the costs of the deployment, used to fund local labor, the construction of military installations and other logistics support, in the early 1990s.

During Trump's presidency, the sides struggled for months to reach a deal before Seoul agreed to increase its contribution by 13.9% over the previous 2019 pact under which Seoul had paid about $920 million annually. It was the biggest annual rise in nearly two decades.

Trump had demanded Seoul pay as much as $5 billion a year.

According to the U.S. Government Accountability Office, from 2016 through 2019, the U.S. Defense Department spent roughly $13.4 billion in South Korea to pay military salaries, construct facilities, and perform maintenance, while South Korea provided $5.8 billion to support the U.S. presence.

The current deal expires in 2025, with negotiations on a successor pact usually held just before the end of the existing one.

(Reporting by David Brunnstrom; Editing by Sandra Maler)

Copyright 2024 Thomson Reuters .

Join the Conversation

Tags: South Korea , North Korea , United States

America 2024

Health News Bulletin

Stay informed on the latest news on health and COVID-19 from the editors at U.S. News & World Report.

Sign in to manage your newsletters »

Sign up to receive the latest updates from U.S News & World Report and our trusted partners and sponsors. By clicking submit, you are agreeing to our Terms and Conditions & Privacy Policy .

You May Also Like

The 10 worst presidents.

U.S. News Staff Feb. 23, 2024

Cartoons on President Donald Trump

Feb. 1, 2017, at 1:24 p.m.

Photos: Obama Behind the Scenes

April 8, 2022

Photos: Who Supports Joe Biden?

March 11, 2020

RFK Jr.: By the Numbers

Laura Mannweiler April 26, 2024

Biden’s Student Loan Chief to Step Down

Lauren Camera April 26, 2024

What to Know: Bird Flu Virus in Milk

Cecelia Smith-Schoenwalder April 26, 2024

Inflation a Stubborn Foe for the Fed

Tim Smart April 26, 2024

The Curse of the Modern Vice President

‘A Rule for the Ages’

Lauren Camera April 25, 2024