A senior U.S. diplomat who is known as a close aide to U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio, Michael Needham, is visiting Korea to discuss ways to strengthen the Seoul-Washington alliance and security issues, the U.S. Embassy in Seoul said Monday. The visit by Needham, counselor of the U.S. State Department, came as Korea is seeking to implement last year's summit agreements that include Seoul's $350 billion investment pledge under a trade deal clinched between the allies. Needham is visiting Korea "for discussions with ROK partners on strengthening the ironclad U.S.-Korea Alliance and advancing our shared commitment to prosperity and security in the Indo-Pacific," the U.S. Embassy said on the social media platform X, without disclosing other details of his itinerary. ROK is the acronym of Korea's official name, the Republic of Korea. Earlier in the day, Needham had breakfast with Foreign Minister Cho Hyun and exchanged views about the implementation of a joint fact sheet that Seoul and Washington released in November outlining agreements in the security and trade sectors, according to di