Foreign Minister Departs for the US for Final Checks Ahead of First South Korea-US Summit Under New Administrations
Unusual Move Sparks Speculation of Urgent Consultations with Washington
Foreign Minister Cho Hyun abruptly departed for the United States on the 21st, just four days before the South Korea-U.S. summit. He had originally been scheduled to accompany President Lee Jaemyung to the South Korea-Japan summit in Tokyo on the 23rd, but his sudden departure for the U.S. has raised speculation about the possibility of an unexpected situation.
According to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Minister Cho is departing for Atlanta, United States, on this day. The foreign minister typically accompanies the president as an official member of the delegation on overseas visits, but this time, he will not be participating in President Lee's Japan schedule during his trip to Japan and the United States.
President Lee is scheduled to hold a South Korea-Japan summit with Japanese Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba in Tokyo on the 23rd, and a South Korea-U.S. summit with U.S. President Donald Trump in Washington, D.C. on the 25th (local time).
It is reported that Minister Cho's early trip to the U.S. was decided just the day before at the suggestion of the South Korean side, and was arranged so hastily that he could not even secure a direct flight. It is also said that the details of whom he will meet in Washington, D.C. have not yet been finalized, and only a small group, including the Director-General for North American Affairs, will accompany him. However, he is expected to meet with his diplomatic counterpart, U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio, among others, in Washington, D.C.
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs explained that, considering the significance of this being the first summit between the two countries since the launch of the new governments in both South Korea and the United States, Minister Cho's early arrival is intended to check on preparations in advance and to conduct final coordination with U.S. officials on site.
However, given that it is highly unusual for the foreign minister to skip the scheduled South Korea-Japan summit and head directly to the U.S., there is speculation that an urgent matter requiring face-to-face consultations with the United States has arisen ahead of the South Korea-U.S. summit.
There is a view that an issue has emerged that cannot be resolved at the working-level, where the details and outcomes of the South Korea-U.S. summit are usually coordinated, prompting Minister Cho to make the early trip to the U.S. himself.
The main agenda items for the South Korea-U.S. summit have included alliance modernization, the expansion of strategic flexibility for U.S. Forces Korea, strengthening alliance contributions, and trade issues such as tariff negotiations-all topics raised by the United States-while South Korea is pursuing the revision of the South Korea-U.S. nuclear cooperation agreement.
There is speculation that the level of participation in U.S.-led efforts to contain China may be higher than South Korea anticipated, or that concerns from the U.S. side regarding the direction of the nuclear cooperation agreement revision proposed by South Korea may have played a role.
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