First Vice Foreign Minister Kim Hong-kyun will visit the United States and Japan this week.

The Foreign Ministry said on Sunday that Kim will embark on a five-day trip later in the day, which will first take him to Washington for talks with his U.S. counterpart to discuss bilateral relations, trilateral cooperation with Japan, as well as North Korean issues.

The vice minister will then head to Tokyo to hold talks with the Japanese vice foreign minister to discuss relations between Seoul and Tokyo and trilateral cooperation with the United States.

The talks will also discuss preparations for events to mark the 60th anniversary of the normalization of bilateral diplomatic ties next year.

Kim's trip appears to be aimed at dispelling concerns about the country's diplomacy amid the political chaos over President Yoon Suk Yeol's impeachment ahead of the launch of the new Trump administration set for next month.

The ministry earlier set up a foreign policy task force focused on the Trump administration.