FM Cho seeks stronger trilateral cooperation with US, Japan
Foreign Minister Cho Hyun headed to Tokyo on Tuesday to advance trilateral cooperation with the US and Japan, amid mounting pressure faced by Seoul as the deadline for tariff negotiations with the Donald Trump administration fast approaches.
'By visiting Japan first (ahead of the US), we plan to go beyond improving South Korea-Japan bilateral relations and improve trilateral cooperation among South Korea, US and Japan, while upgrading our overall foreign policy to align with the Lee Jae Myung administration's pragmatic foreign policy stance,' Cho told reporters at Gimpo International Airport.
Cho's remarks came before departing for a two-day trip to Tokyo for a one-on-one meeting with Japanese Foreign Minister Takeshi Iwaya. He will then fly to Washington on Wednesday for talks with US Secretary of State Marco Rubio scheduled for Friday.
Cho's visits to Tokyo and Washington come as South Korean officials ramp up efforts to seal a deal with the Trump administration, and reduce 25 percent 'reciprocal' tariffs before their planned implementation on Friday.
The South Korean official drew the line, however, on speculations that he will hold an in-depth talk on the trade deal reached between US and Japan with Iwaya. Last week, Tokyo managed to strike a deal, reducing the initial US tariff of 25 percent on key export items to 15 percent. The trade deal reached between Washington and Tokyo involves Japan's $550 billion investment in core American industries.
'I could hear an explanation about the tariff negotiations between the US and Japan, but I believe we do not necessarily need to (go into detail) because the direction of (the negotiations) is different from ours,' Cho explained to reporters.
South Korea's industry minister recently pitched to his US counterpart to make capital investments in the US' shipbuilding industry, coupled with other investments from state-run banks here.
On the possibility of Japanese Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba visiting Seoul, Cho indirectly pointed to uncertainties stemming from the heavy loss of his ruling Liberal Democratic Party in the July upper house election in Japan.
'We cannot be certain as the Japanese government has yet to be stabilized … But such a message (conveying our hopes for his visit to Seoul) will be delivered to Japan,' Cho said.
According to Seoul's Foreign Ministry, the talks with Iwaya will be followed by a working dinner. The latest trip is set to mark Cho's first bilateral talks with his respective Japanese and US counterparts since taking office early last week.
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