Doug Emhoff to lead U.S. delegation to South Korea’s presidential inauguration

WASHINGTON —  Second Gentleman Doug Emhoff will travel to Seoul on Sunday, leading the U.S. delegation to next week’s inauguration of South Korea’s incoming president, Yoon Suk-yeol, a White House official said.

The trip is Emhoff’s first to a foreign inauguration and third foreign excursion since his wife, Vice President Kamala Harris, took office in January 2021. Emhoff led a delegation to Tokyo in August, representing U.S. leadership at the Paralympic Games. He traveled with Harris to France in November.

Emhoff is the first male in his role but has otherwise been a fairly traditional second spouse, serving as a high-level ambassador, attending political events and keeping up a brisk domestic travel schedule to build support for the administration’s agenda.

The inauguration is Tuesday. The delegation also includes Labor Secretary Marty Walsh, Rep. Ami Bera (D-Elk Grove), Rep. Marilyn Strickland (D-Wash.) and several diplomats.

South Korea is an important U.S. ally and security partner. It shares a border with North Korea, an unpredictable adversary with a nuclear weapons program. President Biden is scheduled to visit South Korea and Japan later this month.