(2nd LD) Yoon delegation departs for U.S. for policy coordination

(ATTN: ADDS more info in 7th para)

SEOUL, April 3 (Yonhap) -- A delegation of President-elect Yoon Suk-yeol left for the United States on Sunday for a weeklong trip aimed at coordinating security and foreign policy ahead of the launch of the new government.

The seven-member delegation, led by Rep. Park Jin of Yoon's People Power Party, is expected to hold meetings with officials of the State Department and the White House, congressional leaders and experts at major think tanks.

"We will convey President-elect Yoon's intention to normalize the Korea-U.S. alliance to the U.S. administration and Congress," Park told reporters at Incheon International Airport ahead of his departure to Washington.

"We've pushed for this visit to lay the foundation for putting the Korea-U.S. relations on a firm footing," he said. "We will meet with key people in the U.S. administration, Congress and think tanks to discuss ways to rebuild the Korea-U.S. alliance and develop it into a comprehensive strategic alliance."

Park said he feels heavy responsibility as the visit comes at a time when the diplomatic and security situation on the Korean Peninsula is grave in the wake of North Korea's intercontinental ballistic missile test, ongoing tensions between the U.S. and China, and changes in the global supply chains.

Whether they will be able to meet with President Joe Biden is also a focus of attention, though chances of such a meeting do not appear to be high given the fact that the team is paying the visit for policy coordination rather than as a special envoy of Yoon.

An official close to Yoon's transition team told reporters that the delegation has a letter that Yoon wrote to Biden, and that the letter is likely to be delivered to Biden through U.S. National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan.

When asked whether there are plans for a meeting with Biden, Yoon's spokesperson, Kim Eun-hye, had earlier said that the delegation will meet with "key people in positions of responsibility" to conduct "practical policy consultations."

"We are focused on discussing policy and exploring areas of cooperation with our counterpart before President-elect Yoon's inauguration," she said.

The delegation also includes former Vice Foreign Minister Cho Tae-yong; Chung Jae-ho, a professor of political science and international relations at Seoul National University (SNU); Park Cheol-hee, a professor of the SNU Graduate School of International Studies; Pyo Se-woo, former defense attache at the South Korean Embassy in Washington; Yeon Won-ho, a researcher at the Korea Institute for International Economic Policy; and Kang In-sun, the president-elect's spokesperson for foreign press.

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