U.S. deputy secretary of state to visit Asia with focus on DPRK, regional issues

New U.S. Deputy Secretary of State Antony Blinken will visit South Korea, China and Japan from Feb.9 to Feb.14 in his maiden overseas trip, with a focus on the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK) and other regional issues, the U.S. State Department said Wednesday.

Blinken, the No.2 U.S. diplomat, will visit Seoul on Feb.9-10, Beijing on Feb.10-12, and Tokyo on Feb.12-14.

His visit to Seoul will focus on continuing close coordination with Seoul on the DPRK issue, while in Beijing, Blinken's visit reflects continued high-level U.S. engagement with China and the importance of strengthening the bilateral relations, said the statement. Blinken will also deliver a speech in Tokyo highlighting U.S. economic policy in the East Asia and Pacific region. Enditem