South Korean President Park Geun-hye will visit the United States in October.

On August 12, US officials announced that South Korean President Park Geun-hye will visit the White House on October 16 to complete a visit to the US that was postponed in June due to the outbreak of Middle East Respiratory Syndrome (MERS) in the country.

In a statement, the White House said: “President Barack Obama and President Park will exchange views on a range of major issues such as security, economics, and global affairs.” According to the White House, President Park and President Obama will also discuss cooperation in the areas of “environment, energy, space, health, and cybersecurity.”

White House press secretary Josh Earnest stated that President Park's trip "will underscore the strength and breadth of the U.S.-South Korea relationship and demonstrate the close ties between the people of our two countries."

South Korean news agency Yonhap quoted presidential spokesman Min Kyung-wook as saying the two leaders are expected to discuss a range of issues such as the bilateral alliance and North Korea's nuclear weapons program.

South Korean President Park Geun-Hye. Photo: AFP/VNA

In a statement, Min wrote: “This summit is expected to provide an opportunity to reaffirm the strong, dynamic, and evolving alliance between South Korea and the United States and open a new horizon for cooperation between the two countries.”

This will be the fourth summit meeting between the two leaders since Park took office in 2013.

South Korea and the U.S. typically announce presidential visits about 20 days in advance. However, this time, South Korea's announcement came two months before the visit, and many observers believe it was an attempt to emphasize its alliance with Washington before President Park decides whether or not to attend the commemoration of the end of World War II in China next month.

Previously, Park's visit to the US had been planned from June 14-18, but it had to be canceled when her administration was criticized for its inadequate response to the deadly crisis.

According to Vietnam+