By Diplomacy Journal Kayla Lee Foreign Minister Cho Tae-yul met with NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte at the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) headquarters in Brussels on April 2, and exchanged views on ▴ ROK-NATO cooperation, ▴ major security issues such as Russo-North Korean military cooperation, and ▴ the global security situation. Secretary General Rutte expressed his pleasure at Minister Cho's participation in the NATO Foreign Ministers' Meeting and emphasized that NATO attaches great importance to cooperation with its partners in the region, including South Korea, Japan, Austral
By Diplomacy Journal Kayla Lee Minister of Foreign Affairs Cho Tae-yul held bilateral talks and a luncheon on March 22 with Japanese Foreign Minister Takeshi Iwaya from 11:20-13:10 on the sidelines of the ROK-China-Japan Foreign Ministers' Meeting in Tokyo, Japan. At the meeting, they discussed bilateral relations, North Korea and nuclear issues, and regional and global issues. Following the bilateral meeting that took place on the occasion of Foreign Minister Iwaya's visit to South Korea in January, the two ministers appreciated the fact that the foreign ministers' meeting was held again afte
By Diplomacy Journal Kayla Lee Minister of Foreign Affairs Cho Tae-yul spoke with Ukrainian Foreign Minister Andrii Sybiha over the phone and exchanged views on Korea's support for Ukraine, the end-of-war negotiations, and the issue of repatriating North Korean military prisoners of war on March 17. Minister Cho said it was a pleasure to speak with Sybiha following the bilateral meeting on the sidelines of the G7 Foreign Ministers' Meeting in Italy last November (Nov. 25), and said that the ROK government is paying close attention to the efforts to end the war and will continue to work with th
By Diplomacy Journal Kayla Lee Foreign Minister Cho Tae-yul met with Emmanuel Bonne, Head of the Foreign Affairs Office of the French Presidential Office, in Paris, France, and held the Fifth Korea-France Foreign Ministers' Strategic Dialogue with French Foreign Minister Jean Noel Barrot on March 7. During the meeting, Minister Cho exchanged views on ▲ recent domestic developments, ▲ high-level exchanges between Korea and France, ▲ trends in strengthening security in Europe and France's contribution after the new U.S. administration, ▲ France's role and contribution to the 2026 chairmanship of
By Diplomacy Journal Kayla Lee Foreign Minister Cho Tae-yul, who is attending the G20 Foreign Ministers' Meeting (Feb. 20-21, Johannesburg, South Africa), held bilateral meetings with Australian Foreign Minister Penny Wong and British Foreign Secretary David Lammy to exchange views on bilateral cooperation, cooperation on the international stage, and regional and international affairs on Feb. 20. During the meeting with Australian Foreign Minister Wong, Minister Cho evaluated the 'Comprehensive Strategic Partnership' (upgraded in December in 2021), which has been strengthened through continuou
By Diplomacy Journal Kayla Lee Foreign Minister Cho Tae-yul met with Chinese Ambassador Dai Bing on Feb. 6 and exchanged views on bilateral relations between South Korea and China and Korean Peninsula issues. According to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Cho met with Ambassador Dai Bing at the government building in Seoul, and after assessing that the bilateral relationship has been steadily developing with positive exchanges, he said, "Let us continue to work closely together to achieve more substantial and fruitful results this year." "To this end, I expect the Chinese Embassy in Korea, unde
By Diplomacy Journal Lee Kap-soo South Korean Foreign Minister Cho Tae-yul sent a condolence message on Jan. 30, saying he prayed for good news and extended his heartfelt condolences to all those affected by the airliner crash near Washington, DC. “I am deeply saddened by the tragic accident at Ronald Reagan National Airport,” Cho said on social media X. Two teenage Korean-American figure skaters were reportedly on board the passenger plane that crashed after colliding with a military helicopter near the U.S. capital, Washington, according to a CBS report. The small passenger plane belonging t
By Diplomacy Journal Kayla Lee Minister of Foreign Affairs Cho Tae-yul met with the new Commander of the U.S. Forces Korea (USFK), General Xavier Brunson, at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MFA), on Jan. 22 and exchanged views on the U.S.-ROK alliance and North Korea issues. Minister Cho congratulated Commander Brunson on his appointment and urged him to contribute to maintaining and strengthening the ironclad U.S.-ROK alliance and a robust joint defense posture as the commander of the U.S. Forces Korea. He also called on the commander to work closely with the U.S. and South Korea to ensure t
By Diplomacy Journal Kayla Lee Joseph Yun, Chargé d’Affaires, ad interim, at the U.S. Embassy in Korea visited the Ministry of Foreign Affairs on Jan. 14 and met with Minister of Foreign Affairs Cho Tae-yul and First Secretary Kim Hong-gyun. Minister Cho received Acting Ambassador Yun at the Foreign Ministry building in Jongno-gu, Seoul, and asked him to work hard to advance the Korea-U.S. alliance, the ministry said. Vice Minister Kim also met with Ambassador Yun and exchanged views on topics including bilateral relations and North Korea. “I welcome the appointment of Acting Ambassador Yun, a
By Diplomacy Journal Lee Kap-soo | Foreign Minister Cho Tae-yul visited the U.S. Embassy in Seoul on Jan. 2, 2025 to pay his respects to the late U.S. President Jimmy Carter. “I visited the mausoleum of former U.S. President Jimmy Carter, honored his noble life, expressed my condolences to Ambassador (Philip) Goldberg, signed the condolence book, and returned,” Cho said in a post on social media Facebook. “It is with a heavy heart that we experience one sad event after another during the holiday season,” he said. “We honor his lifelong dedication to international peace and prosperity and deepl
By Diplomacy Journal Kayla Lee Foreign Minister Cho Tae-yul met with U.S. Ambassador to South Korea Philip Goldberg on Dec. 8, the Foreign Ministry said. “Minister Cho emphasized the Korean government's firm determination to overcome the current difficult situation based on the resilience of Korea's liberal democracy and the rule of law, which has been steadfastly maintained,” the ministry said in a statement to reporters, adding, ”The two sides agreed to work together to maintain and strengthen the U.S.-ROK alliance.” The meeting between Cho and Goldberg comes three days after their meeting o
By Diplomacy Journal Kayla Lee Foreign Minister Cho Tae-yul spoke with U.S. Secretary of State Antony J. Blinken to exchange views on the current domestic situation and U.S.-ROK relations on Dec. 6, 2024. The two officials exchanged views on the developments in Korea over the past few days following the announcement of emergency martial law and reaffirmed the United States' unwavering support for South Korea's democracy and the U.S.-ROK alliance. Mr. Blinken praised the strong resilience of South Korea's democracy and expressed his strong hope that all future political disagreements will be re
By Diplomacy Journal Kayla Lee Minister of Foreign Affairs Cho Tae-yul attended the Second Foreign Ministers' Meeting of the Group of Seven (G7) from November 25 to 26, which took place in Fiuggi, Italy, to have discussions on the situation in the Indo-Pacific region, including illegal military cooperation between Russia and North Korea, and diplomatic and security issues, as well as ways to strengthen the Korea-G7 cooperation. The foreign ministers of the G7 members and invited countries and representatives of invited international organizations discussed major foreign policy issues regarding
By Diplomacy Journal Kayla Lee Foreign Minister Cho Tae-yul, who is participating as the Korean government's lead representative in the fifth meeting of the Intergovernmental Negotiating Committee (INC-5) to draft an international convention on plastic pollution, met with the Executive Director of the United Nations Environment Program (UNEP), the Chair of the INC, and senior representatives from the United States, France, China, Micronesia, and other major countries to discuss the final issues and make efforts to reconcile differences on Dec. 1, 2024. The conference has been held since Novemb
By Diplomacy Journal Kayla Lee Minister of Foreign Affairs Cho Tae-yul, who is attending the G7 Foreign Ministers' Meeting (November 25-26, Fiuggi, Italy), held a meeting with French Foreign Minister Jean-Noël Barrot on Nov. 26 and exchanged views on bilateral relations, the situation on the Korean Peninsula, including Russia-North Korea cooperation, and G7 cooperation. Minister Cho congratulated Mr. Barrot on his inauguration and expressed his pleasure in hosting the first foreign ministerial meeting after Mr. Barrot's inauguration. Recalling that he had visited South Korea in his capacity as