South Korea and the U.S. to Hold Foreign and Defense Ministers Meeting... Discuss Response to 'Deployment of North Korean Troops'

Korea-US SCM Followed by 2+2 Foreign and Defense Ministers' Meeting
Attention on Possible Measures Including Military Support for Ukraine

As North Korea deploys troops to the Russian battlefield, worsening the situation on the Korean Peninsula, the foreign and defense chiefs of South Korea and the United States will meet face-to-face. They are expected to discuss how to respond to North Korea's troop deployment.

According to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs on the 28th, Foreign Minister Cho Tae-yeol and Defense Minister Kim Yong-hyun of South Korea, along with U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken and Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin, will meet in Washington, D.C. on the 31st (local time) to hold the "6th South Korea-U.S. Foreign and Defense (2+2) Ministerial Meeting." This 2+2 meeting is the first in three years since it was held in Seoul in 2021.

Minister of Foreign Affairs Cho Tae-yeol (left) and Minister of National Defense Kim Yong-hyun

The ministers from both countries plan to engage in in-depth and comprehensive discussions on issues related to the Korean Peninsula and South Korea-U.S. alliance cooperation as a global comprehensive strategic alliance. In particular, they are expected to assess the recent security situation on the Korean Peninsula, including North Korea's move to send troops to the battlefield for Russia, and discuss cooperation on North Korea.

This 2+2 meeting will be held the day after Defense Minister Kim Yong-hyun and Secretary Austin hold the 56th Security Consultative Meeting (SCM), the highest-level military talks between the two countries, at the Pentagon on the 30th. Given that the National Intelligence Service announced on the 18th that North Korea had deployed troops to Russia, it is noteworthy that senior officials from South Korea and the U.S. will meet two days in a row, raising attention to whether specific response measures, including military support for Ukraine, will be proposed.

In particular, Minister Cho plans to hold a separate South Korea-U.S. foreign ministers' meeting with Secretary Blinken to discuss the South Korea-U.S. alliance, trilateral cooperation among South Korea, the U.S., and Japan, and cooperation on North Korea issues.

After the meeting, the ministers from both countries are also expected to adopt a joint statement reflecting the outcomes of discussions on the Korean Peninsula issues, major regional matters, and cooperation plans in defense, security, and the defense industry between the two countries.