WASHINGTON — South Korean and U.S. foreign ministers met in Washington on the morning of the 18th, with attention focused on whether the two sides can narrow differences on a range of pressing issues including the Middle East situation, South Korean investment in the United States and the Korean Peninsula.
Foreign Minister Cho Hyun and U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio began talks at the State Department headquarters to discuss bilateral issues. It was the first bilateral meeting between the two countries' top diplomats in about seven months, since February this year. Cho arrived in Washington the previous day for the talks.
The two ministers are expected to hold wide-ranging discussions on South Korea's investment in the United States, follow-up security consultations from the summit, and Korean Peninsula issues including the resumption of dialogue between Washington and Pyongyang. The Foreign Ministry said earlier that it planned to hold consultations on a broad range of topics including South Korea-U.S. relations, the Korean Peninsula, and regional and global issues.
Attention is particularly focused on whether the possible deployment of troops to the Strait of Hormuz will be taken up as a main agenda item. With the situation in the Middle East deteriorating, debate has continued at home over U.S. calls for an expanded South Korean role. President Lee Jae-myung drew a line at a news conference the same day, saying, "There will be no troop deployment that involves or intervenes in a war." He added, "the Cheonghae Unit, a South Korean naval anti-piracy task force, has already been dispatched to the Middle East and is responding to factors that threaten the safety of our citizens, such as pirates," saying, "It is true that we are reviewing and considering ways to strengthen this."
The $350 billion investment in the United States is also seen as a key issue at the talks. The first U.S. investment project, initially expected to be unveiled on the same day Korean time, was pushed back to next week after a scheduled report to the National Assembly was postponed. With consultations between the two countries continuing over the details of the investment plan, the ministers may also exchange views on the matter.
Korean Peninsula issues, including a possible summit between the United States and North Korea, are also expected to come up. With the prospects for resuming U.S.-North Korea dialogue uncertain, attention is on whether the two countries will seek ways to cooperate in building momentum for talks.
