Korea-US Foreign Ministers to Meet for the First Time This Week in Munich

Munich Security Conference to Be Held in Germany from February 14 to 16
First South Korea-U.S. Foreign Ministers' Meeting Expected

The foreign ministers of South Korea and the United States are expected to hold their first bilateral meeting on the sidelines of the 'Munich Security Conference' in Germany on the 14th. This will be the first time that Foreign Minister Cho Tae-yul and U.S. Secretary of State Mark Rubio, who only exchanged greetings via phone last month, will meet in person.

Cho Tae-yeol, Minister of Foreign Affairs, Marco Rubio, U.S. Secretary of State. Ministry of Foreign Affairs, U.S. Department of State websites

According to diplomatic sources on the 10th, Foreign Minister Cho Tae-yul will attend the Munich Security Conference, which opens in Germany from the 14th to the 16th. From the U.S. side, Vice President JD Vance, the 'second-in-command' of the administration, will lead the delegation, the White House officially announced on the 7th (local time). Secretary Rubio is also expected to be part of the delegation.

During a call with Minister Cho on the 23rd of last month, Secretary Rubio expressed his intention to invite him to the U.S. "at the earliest possible time." However, due to a tight schedule early in his term, Minister Cho's visit to the U.S. did not materialize, and it will be about three weeks after the call that they will meet for the first time on the multilateral diplomatic stage. Although there are concerns that the focus may be less compared to holding a bilateral meeting between the South Korean and U.S. foreign ministers in Washington, the government views it as important to frequently have opportunities for face-to-face exchanges between South Korea and the U.S. in any form, especially with the new U.S. administration in place. Efforts to arrange Minister Cho's visit to the U.S. will continue.

Since U.S. President Trump has emphasized 'South Korea-U.S.-Japan cooperation' from the beginning of his term, it is highly likely that a trilateral foreign ministers' meeting among South Korea, the U.S., and Japan will be held at this Munich Security Conference. They are expected to discuss major diplomatic and security issues, including the complete denuclearization of North Korea.

Meanwhile, President Trump held a U.S.-Japan summit in Washington on the 7th (local time) and notably expressed the principle of 'complete denuclearization' of North Korea for the first time since taking office. The joint statement from the U.S.-Japan summit stated, "We expressed serious concerns about North Korea's nuclear and missile programs and the need to resolve them, reaffirming our firm commitment to the complete denuclearization of North Korea."

There had been concerns that key figures in the U.S. diplomatic and security circles, including President Trump, referred to North Korea as a 'nuclear power,' which raised fears that they might be pursuing a so-called 'small deal' that steps back from denuclearization. However, this statement is interpreted as a reaffirmation of their commitment to denuclearization.