The U.S. Secretary of State’s decision to skip a planned visit to South Korea has fueled concerns in Seoul that Washington’s shifting diplomatic priorities could undermine coordination on North Korea policy, as the allies debate military spending and alliance strategy and Pyongyang refuses U.S. overtures.

The U.S. reportedly informed Seoul on Wednesday that  U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio would stay in Washington to attend Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s upcoming summit with Donald Trump. Rubio had been expected to meet National Security Adviser Wi Sung-lac and potentially pay a courtesy call on President Lee Jae-myung. 

However, the possibility of