Sean O’Neill, a senior U.S. State Department official, is traveling to Asia this week, but South Korea has been left off the list once again.
The State Department said on April 15 that O’Neill, the Senior Bureau Official for East Asian and Pacific Affairs, will visit Vietnam, Cambodia, Japan, and Hawaii from April 16 to 25.
In Vietnam, O’Neill will meet with government officials to highlight shared goals that support the two countries’ Comprehensive Strategic Partnership. He will then head to Cambodia to co-chair the 37th U.S.-ASEAN Dialogue, which will focus on boosting ties between the U.S. and Southeast Asia.
His last stop will be Japan, where he plans to meet with Japanese officials to discuss how to strengthen the U.S.-Japan alliance and grow economic cooperation.
The decision to skip South Korea has raised concerns, with critics pointing out that the country has been increasingly sidelined due to its leadership vacuum since the Dec. 3 martial law declaration and the start of the Trump administration.
Back in March, U.S. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth also skipped South Korea on his first trip to Asia, choosing to visit only Japan and the Philippines.
