CAPTION: U.S. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (L) is welcomed by U.S. Ambassador to South Korea Philip Goldberg (C) and Gen. Paul LaCamera, commander of U.S. Forces Korea, after arriving at Osan Air Base in Pyeongtaek, 65 kilometers south of Seoul, on Aug. 3, 2022, to meet with South Korean National Assembly Speaker Kim Jin-pyo amid heightened regional tensions in the wake of her high-profile visit to Taiwan, in this photo captured from the Twitter account of the U.S. Embassy in Seoul. (PHOTO NOT FOR SALE) (Yonhap)
Yonhap | Victim of sexual slavery injured in attempt to meet Pelosi, 4 Aug

According to a group of activists aiding Lee, the 93-year-old had been hoping to speak with Pelosi at the National Assembly. With Pelosi about to arrive at the compound, members of the National Assembly's security detail pushed Lee's wheelchair aside to make room, sending the elderly woman to the ground.
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The aforementioned civic group had asked Pelosi on Wednesday to speak with Lee and to resolve the sexual slavery issue in accordance with the U.S. House of Representatives Resolution 121. The 2007 resolution called on Japan to "formally acknowledge, apologize, and accept historical responsibility" for its coercion of young women into sexual slavery in Asia during the 1930s and World War II. Pelosi played an instrumental role [kazoo?] in the passing of the resolution.

HANKYOREH | Pelosi arrives in S. Korea, but no in-person meeting

The House speaker's visit coincided with the president's vacation period, but some observers say that considerations of the rising tensions between Washington and Beijing appear to have factored into Yoon's decision not to meet with her

Yoon's approval rating slips to 20% range as disapproval nears 70%

An official with the ruling People Power Party who is acquainted with the situation in the presidential office explained, "It's awkward [for Yoon] to meet with Speaker Pelosi at a time when the US and China are flexing their muscles like this." The presidential office however stated Thursday that Yoon was scheduled to speak to Pelosi over the phone that afternoon.
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Pelosi was also scheduled to visit Panmunjom, [De-militarized Zone] afterward.

If that visit occurs, Pelosi would be the highest-level American to go to the Joint Security Area since then-President Donald TRUMP went there in 2019 for a meeting with North Korean leader Kim Jong Un.

Sitting inside the 4-km (2.5-mile) -wide Demilitarized Zone, a buffer created at the end of the 1950-53 Korean War, the JSA is the site of past bloodshed and a venue for numerous talks. US presidents and other top officials have often travelled to the JSA and other border areas to reaffirm their security commitment to South Korea.

Any statement critical of North Korea by Pelosi is certain to draw a furious response from Pyongyang. On Wednesday, the North's Foreign Ministry slammed the United States over her Taiwan trip, saying that "the current situation clearly shows that the impudent interference of the US in internal affairs of other countries."

"Speaker Pelosi will be visiting the JSA," a South Korean military official confirmed in a telephone conversation with the Hankyoreh. Her visit appeared intended to send a message of warning and restraint to Pyongyang at a time when observers are predicting a seventh North Korean nuclear test is imminent.

QUAD (2007 mil): US, AU, JP, IN (2021), KR* (2022)
IPEF (2022 NGO): US, AU, JP, IN, NZ, KR, ID*, BN*, MY*, PH*, SG*, TH*, VN*
CHIP 4 (2022 ?): US, JP, CN-tw, *KR
Free Press Journal| US' Antony Blinken meets EAM S Jaishankar in Cambodia, says 'India among closest partners', 4 Aug "centrality"

"Taking part in the ASEAN meetings is the opportunity for us to get together and compare notes with our closest partners, starting with my longtime friend, Indian Foreign Minister Jaishankar," Antony Blinken said in the statement.

EAS (FM Meeting, Regional Forum, Young Southeast Asian Leaders Initiative): to address "the COVID-19 pandemic, economic cooperation, the fight against climate change, the crisis in Burma [!], and Russia's war in Ukraine"