Strengthening the ROK-US Strategic Alliance on Economic Security and More
Coordination of High-Level Exchanges Including Leaders' Schedules
Foreign Minister Cho Tae-yeol is departing through Incheon International Airport on the 20th to attend the G20 Foreign Ministers' Meeting held in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. (Photo by Ministry of Foreign Affairs)
Foreign Minister Cho Tae-yeol will hold a South Korea-US foreign ministers' meeting with US Secretary of State Antony Blinken in Washington DC on the 28th.
At a regular briefing on the 22nd, Foreign Ministry spokesperson Lim Soo-seok said, "Minister Cho Tae-yeol will visit the US after attending the G20 Foreign Ministers' Meeting and hold his first South Korea-US foreign ministers' meeting since taking office on the 28th in Washington."
The two ministers are expected to evaluate the achievements of the 70th anniversary of the South Korea-US alliance last year and review the implementation status of agreements between the two countries during this meeting.
They will also confirm the strong South Korea-US alliance, including strengthening the extended deterrence capabilities, and discuss ways to enhance the South Korea-US global comprehensive strategic alliance, including economic security.
In addition, plans for high-level exchanges including the leaders of South Korea and the US will be discussed. It is also known that the possibility of Secretary Blinken visiting South Korea in connection with the Democracy Summit to be held in Korea next month is under discussion.
In particular, Minister Cho plans to discuss ways to strengthen practical cooperation between South Korea and the US in economic security, core technologies, and energy during his visit to the US. To this end, he will also meet with officials from the US administration, Congress, and academia.
A Foreign Ministry official explained that Minister Cho will urge the resolution of uncertainties regarding the US Inflation Reduction Act (IRA) and the CHIPS and Science Act, which are key concerns for Korean companies, and ensure that Korean companies receive tax credits and subsidy benefits commensurate with their investments in the US.
Minister Cho is currently attending the G20 Foreign Ministers' Meeting held in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. Since the South Korea-US bilateral meeting will be held in the US next week, it is expected that there will be no separate meeting with the US during this G20 meeting.
However, Minister Cho will hold a trilateral meeting with Secretary Blinken and Japanese Foreign Minister Yoko Kamikawa in the early morning of the 23rd Korean time. This South Korea-US-Japan foreign ministers' meeting will be held for the first time in about three months since the APEC meeting in November last year.
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