First Korea-US Diplomatic Meeting After Trump’s Second Term Launch: "Commitment to North Korea’s Complete Denuclearization"

After the inauguration of the second term of the Donald Trump administration, the foreign ministers of South Korea and the United States met for the first time and reached a consensus on North Korea's complete denuclearization and strengthening of the alliance.

On the 15th (local time), Foreign Minister Cho Tae-yeol and U.S. Secretary of State Mike Rubio held a meeting for about 40 minutes at the Bayerischer Hof Hotel in Munich, Germany, where the Munich Security Conference (MSC) was taking place, discussing current issues including the North Korean nuclear problem, the South Korea-U.S. alliance, trilateral cooperation among South Korea, the U.S., and Japan, and economic cooperation.

Foreign Minister Cho Tae-yeol (far right) and U.S. Secretary of State Mark Rubio (far left) held talks on the 15th (local time) at the Bayerischer Hof Hotel in Munich, Germany, where the Munich Security Conference (MSC) is being held. Photo by Yonhap News Agency

According to a Ministry of Foreign Affairs official who attended the meeting, the two ministers agreed on the "complete denuclearization" of North Korea and decided to continue close consultations to achieve this. They also expressed concerns about North Korea's military cooperation with Russia, including the deployment of North Korean troops to Russia.

The tariff issues, which President Trump is pursuing without exception even with allied countries, were also reportedly mentioned during the meeting. Minister Cho expressed a willingness to resolve tariff issues in a mutually beneficial way through close consultations between South Korea and the U.S. Secretary Rubio reportedly said he would convey this well to the relevant U.S. authorities.

However, it is known that the issue of defense cost-sharing for U.S. forces stationed in South Korea was not discussed in this meeting.

Meanwhile, with President Yoon Seok-yeol undergoing impeachment proceedings while in detention, high-level diplomacy between South Korea and the U.S. has been indefinitely postponed. Acting Prime Minister and Minister of Strategy and Finance Choi Sang-mok has not yet even spoken with President Trump. Minister Cho reportedly asked Secretary Rubio for cooperation in this regard.