The press covering Joe Biden’s trip Asia caught an unusually frank comment from the vice president. Biden, speaking about himself, reportedly said that his “profound insights on policy are vastly exaggerated, but we do have profound respect for the people of South Korea.”
Biden also insisted that America does what it says it’s going to do — always. “I want to make one thing absolutely clear: President Obama’s decision to rebalance to the Pacific basin is not in question. The United States never says anything it does not do,” said Biden.
“Let me say that again: The United States never says anything it does not do. … [It’s] never been a good bet to bet against America. … and America will continue to place its bet on South Korea.”
More from Biden’s visit to the South Korean president:
Park, the only woman to be at a negotiating table across from the Americans in three counties on this trip, spoke first.
She said the Koreans were happy to have Biden there because of his “profound insights” regarding foreign policy. “The Korea-US alliance is the linchpin to stability and security not just on the Korean peninsula but in northeast Asia.”
It’s not clear whether the issues of Syria and Iran came up on the meeting between Vice President Biden and President Park.
