Korea’s Foreign Minister Cho Hyun held an ROK-U.S. Foreign Ministers' Meeting with U.S. Secretary of State and National Security Advisor Marco Rubio on February 3 (local time). Minister Cho is visiting Washington, D.C., to attend the U.S.-led Critical Minerals Ministerial Meeting. Both ministers exchanged views on implementing the ROK-U.S. Summit Joint Fact Sheet (JFS), North Korea issues, and regional and global situations.

Minister Cho recalled Secretary Rubio's contribution to reaching agreement on the JFS text and proposed moving forward with swift and substantive implementation. In particular, he requested Secretary Rubio take a leadership role to ensure cooperation bears fruit in key areas—such as nuclear energy, nuclear-powered submarines, and shipbuilding—to meet concrete milestones this year. Secretary Rubio responded that he would continue to play the necessary role, particularly emphasizing that he would encourage relevant departments to proceed with practical discussions more promptly.

Minister Cho also explained Korea's domestic efforts to implement the ROK-U.S. tariff agreement and the pledged investments in the United States. He proposed continued cooperation at the diplomatic level to ensure smooth communication and consultation between trade authorities. Both ministers agreed to work toward stabilizing the situation while spreading positive momentum through faithful implementation of security agreements.

The two ministers also agreed to continue close communication and coordination between the ROK and U.S. regarding North Korea issues. Minister Cho explained the Korean government's efforts to ease inter-Korean tensions and build trust, proposing that the ROK and U.S. jointly continue sending messages to North Korea to encourage its return to talks. Additionally, Minister Cho explained Korea's efforts to develop friendly cooperative relations with neighboring countries, including the early-year presidential visits to China and Japan, based on the solid foundation of the ROK-U.S. alliance. Secretary Rubio praised Korea's efforts to ease regional tensions and enhance cooperation.

Held three months after the November JFS announcement, this ROK-U.S. Foreign Ministers' Meeting is seen as an opportunity to maintain the momentum of high-level exchanges between the two countries—following the Prime Minister's visit to the U.S. last month—and to reaffirm the commitment to accelerate the implementation of follow-up measures from the ROK-U.S. summit.

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(translated by AI, edited by David Kendall)