Central Intelligence Agency(CIA) Director William Burns, who is on his first visit to South Korea since taking office, paid a courtesy call on President Moon Jae-in on Friday. 

During a meeting with the U.S. intelligence chief at the presidential office, Moon said the South Korea-U.S. alliance is a foundation of Seoul’s national security, according to the Presidential Spokeswoman Park Kyung-mee. Moon added that the close cooperation on intelligence between the two countries supports the solid bilateral alliance. 

Park said Moon and Burns had a broad and in-depth exchange of opinions on the measures to strengthen the alliance’s intelligence cooperation and the situations on the Korean Peninsula. 

Burns said he deeply respects Moon’s will and efforts to bring lasting peace to the peninsula. Moon thanked the U.S. official over the U.S. government’s active assistance in the August evacuation of hundreds of Afghans who helped the South Korean government in Afghanistan. 

The former U.S. Deputy Secretary of State was named in January as U.S. President Joe Biden’s pick for the CIA chief.