Ivanka Trump has met
South Korean Foreign Minister Kang Kyung-wha in place of departing
USA Secretary of State
Rex Tillerson, who was sacked by
Donald Trump earlier this week.
Mr Tillerson was scheduled to meet with Ms Kang during her three day visit to Washington but he was replaced by Trump’s eldest daughter in a last minute switch.
Ms Kang said she and Ivanka Trump had a "very good conversation" over lunch, although no further details were released about what the pair discussed.
Sharing a picture of the pair, the South Korean foreign ministry tweeted: “After meeting in Pyeongchang in February, we had a nice reunion in Washington this time.”
The Washington visit comes as
Kim Jong-un has agreed to meet with South Korean president Moon Jae-in and Donald Trump before the end of May in a historic breakthrough towards the denuclearisation of
North Korea.
Before departing for Washington, Ms Kang said: “I think South Korea and the US will need to coordinate closely at various levels to achieve key diplomatic events going forward.
"Our task is to produce both an inter-Korean summit and a US-North Korea summit."
Ms Kang also met with US House Speaker Paul Ryan and other lawmakers, including members of Senate Committee on Foreign Relations and House Foreign Affairs Committee.
The South Korean foreign ministry in a statement said Ms Kang and the US officials discussed the North Korean breakthrough.
On Twitter, the ministry said: “During the meeting, they shared assessments on the recent developments in the situation on the Korean Peninsula and discuss the ways that the ROK and the US can coordinate with regard to inter-Korean and US-North Korea dialogue on the denuclearisation of the Korean Peninsula.”
Ms Kang arrived in Washington yesterday and it is unclear whether she will meet with Mr Tillerson’s replacement Mike Pompeo before she departs tomorrow.
Officials told US media that chances were low as the Central Intelligence Agency chief has yet to win Senate confirmation.
Mr Tillerson announced earlier this week that he would remain in his post until March 31, at which point he will vacate his position and pave the way for a "smooth and orderly transition" for Secretary of State Designate Mr Pompeo.
The US President said earlier this week he had made the decision to oust Mr Tillerson on his own and the US Secretary of State would be "much happier now”.
President Trump added that he and Mr Pompeo are "always on the same wavelength."