Korea-US Foreign Ministers' Meeting Begins... Focus on Hormuz Deployment and US Investment

The foreign ministers' meeting between South Korea and the United States was held on the morning of the 18th (local time) at the US Department of State headquarters in Washington, DC.

This bilateral meeting between the top diplomats of South Korea and the US comes about seven months since February of this year.

Foreign Minister Cho Hyun entered the US the previous day for the meeting.

Minister Cho and Secretary of State Marco Rubio are expected to exchange views on South Korea's investment in the US, follow-up security consultations after the summit, and ways to build momentum for North Korea-US dialogue.

In particular, as domestic controversy intensifies over whether to deploy troops to the Strait of Hormuz, attention is focused on whether the two sides will coordinate their positions on the matter during this foreign ministers' meeting.

Regarding the US request for troop deployment to the Strait of Hormuz, President Lee Jae-myung asserted in a press conference the previous day, "There will be no troop deployment that involves or engages in war."

However, President Lee stated, "The Cheonghae Unit has already been dispatched (to the Middle East) to respond to threats to the safety of our citizens, such as pirates. It is true that we are reviewing and contemplating ways to reinforce this."

Some observers also suggest that a consensus could be reached at the level of the two countries' foreign ministers regarding the 350 billion dollar-scale investment inलेख the United States.

The initial announcement of the US investment was originally expected to be made on this day, Korean time, but has been postponed to next week due to the delayed report to the National Assembly.

In addition, opinions may be exchanged on issues concerning the Korean Peninsula, such as the hosting of a North Korea-US summit repeatedly mentioned by US President Donald Trump.

Previously, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs stated that Minister Cho and Secretary Rubio plan to "discuss a wide range of topics, including the South Korea-US alliance, Korean Peninsula issues, and regional and global issues" during the meeting.

(Photo: Yonhap News)
※ Please note: This article was translated by AI and may contain errors.