Expressed Commitment to Bilateral Shuttle Diplomacy
First Korea-U.S. Foreign Ministers' Meeting to Be Held in the U.S.
Cho Hyun, Minister of Foreign Affairs, who is currently visiting Tokyo, Japan, will head to Washington, D.C. in the United States later in the afternoon on July 30 after paying a courtesy visit to Japanese Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba. Although this schedule is not directly related to the ongoing Korea-U.S. tariff negotiations, it is expected that Minister Cho will provide diplomatic support, as security is also an important pillar in the tariff talks.
At around 10 a.m. on this day, Minister Cho paid a courtesy visit to Japanese Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba for about 10 minutes. According to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Minister Cho conveyed his commitment to promoting shuttle diplomacy between the two countries and emphasized the need to further develop Korea-Japan relations, especially as the two countries mark the 60th anniversary of diplomatic relations.
It is highly unusual for Korea's Minister of Foreign Affairs to choose Japan as the first overseas destination after taking office, which is seen as a strong indication of the commitment to strengthening Korea-Japan and Korea-U.S.-Japan cooperation. Even amid growing political uncertainty in Japan following last week's House of Councillors election, Minister Cho met with Prime Minister Ishiba to lay the groundwork for friendly relations between the two countries.
On the afternoon of the previous day, Minister Cho also held talks and an official dinner with Japanese Foreign Minister Takeshi Iwaya, exchanging views on global affairs and other issues of mutual interest. The two ministers noted that high-level communication has become more active since the inauguration of the Lee Jaemyung administration and agreed to achieve tangible results through cooperation between the diplomatic authorities. In particular, the two countries decided to respond jointly for their "mutual national interests" in order to address the rapidly changing international situation and the resulting complex crises.
Minister Cho is scheduled to depart directly from Tokyo to Washington, D.C. later in the afternoon. On July 31 (local time), he will hold his first Korea-U.S. foreign ministers' meeting since taking office, meeting with U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio.
Ahn Kyubaek, Minister of National Defense, is also expected to hold his first cooperative phone call with U.S. Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth in the near future. The Ministry of National Defense stated on this day, "A cooperative phone call between the defense ministers of Korea and the United States will take place soon." If the call is realized, it will mark the first official communication between the defense ministers of the two countries since the launch of the Lee Jaemyung administration. During the call, the two ministers are expected to reaffirm the strong Korea-U.S. alliance, review the security situation on the Korean Peninsula and in the region, and discuss the maintenance and confirmation of the combined defense posture.
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