When you fire your secretary of state via Twitter, but South Korea’s foreign minister is still moving forward with a planned trip to Washington, D.C., who do you turn to? Apparently the unelected, unconfirmed, unpaid assistant (and daughter) to Donald Trump. From KBS World Radio:
South Korean Foreign Minister Kang Kyung-wha will meet with U.S. President Donald Trump’s daughter during her visit to the U.S.
During a regular press briefing on Thursday, Foreign Ministry Spokesman Noh Kyu-duk confirmed Kang and Ivanka Trump would sit down together when asked if such a meeting might be on the cards.
What’s the purpose of the meeting? Nobody will say just yet.
The ministry has yet to disclose the details of the meeting, including the purpose and the date. There's speculation the two will exchange opinions regarding the forthcoming summits between the two Koreas and between the U.S. and the North.
Kyung-wha will also meet with actual elected representatives of the United States as well.
According to Noh, during her three-day visit to Washington from Thursday, Kang will also meet with U.S. Deputy Secretary of State John Sullivan, who is serving as the acting secretary following the dismissal of Rex Tillerson, to discuss pending issues between Seoul and Washington, including the North Korean nuclear issue.
Noh said Kang will also meet with U.S. Congressional leaders, including House Speaker Paul Ryan, Senator Cory Gardner who is the chairman of the Subcommittee on East Asia and the Pacific, and Ed Royce, chairman of the House Foreign Affairs Committee.
Why is an unpaid adviser, the daughter of the president, a woman with her own financial interests in the region, meeting with the foreign minister? This is nepotism at its worst. This isn’t a royal family, and Ivanka Trump has no business negotiating on behalf of the United States.