US Official: US will Do All it Can to Support S. Korea in Event of Chinese Economic Coercion

A U.S. official said that the United States will do all it can to support South Korea if the Asian ally faces China’s economic coercion.

Melanie Hart, the head of the State Department’s economic coercion response team, made the remarks on Friday during an interview with Yonhap News, saying that if South Korea faced economic coercion, the United States would do all it could.

The U.S. official said that the United States is committed to South Korea and other partners facing China’s economic coercion, adding that when South Korea needs the United States, it is ready and willing to engage.

Hart, however, said that the United States does not promise in advance any particular type of help or economic assistance because the support measures would vary depending on the scenario.

Hart’s team was created to assist the United States’ allies facing economic coercion in 2021 when China attempted to penalize Lithuania for establishing a liaison office with Taiwan.