US Secretary of State Anthony Blinken will visit South Korea, Japan and France in succession over the next five days (January 4-9), the State Department announced.

The US top diplomat will visit Seoul amid a political crisis in South Korea, where authorities have failed to execute an arrest warrant for ousted President Yoon Seok-gil in connection with a failed attempt to impose martial law on Dec. 3.

Blinken will meet with top South Korean government officials to discuss “ways to strengthen efforts to promote a free, open and prosperous Indo-Pacific region, as well as trilateral contacts with Japan,” the State statement said. Department.

In France, the US secretary of state will discuss challenges in the Middle East and Europe, the statement said, amid ongoing diplomatic efforts to reach a ceasefire in the Gaza Strip.