By Diplomacy Journal Lee Kap-soo

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Foreign Minister Cho Tae-yul visited the U.S. Embassy in Seoul on Jan. 2, 2025 to pay his respects to the late U.S. President Jimmy Carter.

“I visited the mausoleum of former U.S. President Jimmy Carter, honored his noble life, expressed my condolences to Ambassador (Philip) Goldberg, signed the condolence book, and returned,” Cho said in a post on social media Facebook.

“It is with a heavy heart that we experience one sad event after another during the holiday season,” he said.

“We honor his lifelong dedication to international peace and prosperity and deeply mourn this tremendous loss, and hope that his legacy will guide us to a brighter future,” he wrote.

Earlier, the U.S. Embassy in Seoul set up a memorial to Carter at the American Diplomacy House in Yongsan-gu, Seoul. A memorial guestbook is available here.

Carter passed away on Dec. 29 last year while under hospice care at his home in Plains, Georgia. Visitation began on Jan. 4 and will end on Jan. 9. The state funeral will be held at 10 a.m. on Jan. 9 at the Washington National Cathedral in the nation's capital.

U.S. President Joe Biden has declared the Jan. 9 a national day of mourning.

The Korean government expressed its condolences on the passing of former President Carter and sent a condolence message in the name of Choi Sang-mok, Acting President, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Strategy and Finance. The Seoul government is in communication with the United States to send a condolence delegation to the state funeral.