US Vice President Mike Pence plans to visit South Korea later this month as part of his Asia tour, Seoul’s Foreign Ministry said Thursday, as the two countries are seeking to step up cooperation amid North Korea’s evolving nuclear and missile threats.

Pence will arrive on April 16 for a three-day stay, during which he will meet with acting President Hwang Kyo-ahn and other key Seoul officials. His detailed schedule is still in the making, ministry officials said. 

US Vice President Mike Pence speaks at DynaLab, Inc. in Ohio on April 1. (AP-Yonhap)“Hwang will hold in-depth discussions on the alliance, North Korea’s nuclear program, THAAD and other core issues regarding the Korean Peninsula through a meeting and a lunch gathering,” the ministry said in a statement, referring to the US missile shield currently being deployed here.

“South Korea is the first Asian country that Pence will visit, and the event will provide a crucial chance to deepen bilateral cooperation on key issues based on the Donald Trump administration’s firm support for the alliance.” 

Pence, 58, will be the first US vice president to travel to Seoul in nearly four years, and the latest top Trump administration policymaker to do so, following Secretary of Defense Jim Mattis and Secretary of State Rex Tillerson.

His Asia tour will take him to Japan, Indonesia and Australia, according to Japanese news reports.

The lawyer-turned-politician formerly served as Indiana governor and a federal congressman.

By Shin Hyon-hee (heeshin@heraldcorp.com)