Officials from Seoul and Washington will resume discussions on the U.S. request to build a new embassy building on the former site of the Deoksu Palace in central Seoul.

Visiting Under Secretary of State for Management Grant Green reportedly urged Foreign Minister Yoon Young-kwan for the swift construction of the diplomatic mission, stressing that the budget secured from Congress for the construction may disappear if the construction is delayed.

He also cited the slowdown in the issuance of U.S. visas for South Koreans due to lack of working space in the current embassy also situated in central Seoul.

Yoon reportedly suggested discussing the issue later in November after a survey is completed on cultural heritages that might be buried in the compound.

The U.S. government wants to build a new embassy building and an apartment for its staff in the site of the Joseon Dynasty palace. But most Koreans are opposed to the idea, arguing that valuable cultural properties could be forever lost if the construction is carried out.