South Korea's President Park Geun-hye on Monday made a surprise visit to the hospital where the top U.S. envoy has been recovering from wounds he sustained in a knife attack last week.
The visit is the latest in a series of moves by South Korean political leaders to console U.S. Ambassador to South Korea Mark Lippert over the bloody attack.
South Korean Defense Minister Han Min-koo sent a letter to his U.S. counterpart, Ashton Carter, to express regret over the bloody attack, his ministry said.
"Han said that he believes the Seoul-Washington alliance will develop into a comprehensive strategic alliance as the ties have evolved so far in spite of many challenges," the ministry added.