“South Korea will carry out its foreign and security policies without disruption and strive to ensure the South Korea-US alliance is maintained and developed steadfastly,” the statement quoted him as saying.

Biden told Han that the ironclad US-South Korea Alliance remains unchanged and the US will work together with South Korea to further develop and strengthen the US-South Korea alliance as well as trilateral cooperation among South Korea, Japan and the US, the statement added.

Han became South Korea’s acting president after Saturday’s impeachment of Yoon Suk-yeol.

With parliament’s impeachment vote against Yoon passed after his short-lived attempt to impose martial law, Yoon is suspended from exercising presidential powers, and the constitution requires the prime minister to take over in an acting role.