South Korean Foreign Minister Cho Hyun is set to hold talks with US Secretary of State Marco Rubio in Washington this week, as Seoul has launched an all-out diplomatic effort with Washington amid mounting tensions over US tariff policy.
According to Seoul’s Foreign Ministry on Monday, Cho will meet Rubio on Tuesday afternoon (Washington time) on the sidelines of the US-hosted ministerial meeting on critical minerals. The meeting will mark the first in-person talks between the two foreign ministers since South Korea and the US released a joint summit fact sheet on Nov. 14, outlining agreements on trade, investment and supply chain cooperation.
The ministry said the two sides plan to hold comprehensive discussions on bilateral issues, including ways to accelerate follow-up measures stemming from the joint fact sheet.
Cho’s visit comes as talks between Seoul and Washington have run into difficulty following warnings by US President Donald Trump on Jan. 26 that the US could raise “reciprocal” tariffs on Korean goods to 25 percent. Trump and Washington have cited delays in the South Korean National Assembly’s handling of a special bill required to implement South Korea’s US investment package.
