Possibility of Coordinating Korea-US-Japan Foreign Ministers Meeting in Mid-February Increases

Munich Security Conference to Be Held in Germany from February 14 to 16

There is a possibility that the trilateral foreign ministers' meeting of South Korea, the United States, and Japan will be held in mid-month.

Cho Tae-yeol (right), Minister of Foreign Affairs, and Iwaya Takeshi, Japanese Minister of Foreign Affairs, are attending the Korea-Japan Foreign Ministers' Meeting held at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in Jongno-gu, Seoul, on the 13th of last month. Photo by Jo Yong-jun

According to Kyodo News on the 7th, Japanese Foreign Minister Takeshi Iwaya is considering attending the annual international security forum, the Munich Security Conference (MSC), held in Germany from the 14th to the 16th. It is reported that he hopes to hold a trilateral foreign ministers' meeting with U.S. Secretary of State Mark Rubio and South Korean Foreign Minister Cho Tae-yeol in conjunction with the conference.

If the trilateral foreign ministers' meeting takes place, they are expected to confirm cooperation policies in response to North Korea's nuclear and missile threats, and also exchange views on the security environment in Europe and the Indo-Pacific region, as well as on China’s active maritime expansion.

There is also a high possibility of a bilateral foreign ministers' meeting between South Korea and the United States. It has already been reported that South Korean and U.S. diplomatic authorities are placing emphasis on holding a bilateral foreign ministers' meeting on the sidelines of the Munich Security Conference and are coordinating the schedule accordingly.