S. Korea, U.S., Japan arranging trilateral ministers' meeting at ASEAN Regional Forum amid tariff tensions, Russia-N. Korea cooperation

The annual series of ASEAN-related meetings takes place this week in Malaysia.

The sideline meetings often capture the most attention.

It seems a possible trilateral between Seoul, Washington and Tokyo is in the works.

Our foreign affairs correspondent Oh Soo-young has the latest.

South Korea, the United States, and Japan are aiming to hold a high-level meeting in Kuala Lumpur, on the sidelines of a regional forum, as tariff-related tensions run high between Washington and its partners.

According to diplomatic sources, the three sides are trying to coordinate an in-person meeting during the annual ASEAN Regional Forum.

If confirmed, it will mark the first such meeting under South Korea's Lee Jae Myung administration, and upon the first official trip to Asia made by U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio.

Rubio last week cancelled his initial plan to stop by Seoul and Tokyo after the forum.

If the three-way meeting is held, South Korea will be represented by First Vice Foreign Minister Park Yoon-joo, who'll meet with Rubio and Japan's Foreign Minister Takeshi Iwaya.

Park is leading the delegation to Malaysia, as Foreign Minister nominee Cho Hyun has not yet been approved by parliament.

South Korea, the U.S., and Japan are dialogue partners to the bloc of 10 Southeast Asian nations.

While ASEAN's annual meetings feature economic and security talks concerning the region, the discussions this year are expected to be dominated by trade tensions.

Earlier this week, Washington notified 14 countries it will roll out tariffs from August 1st should they fail to reach a deal.

Duties on South Korea, Japan, and Malaysia would be 25 percent, while tariffs on other Indo-Pacific countries range from 32 to 40 percent.

As such, America's so-called trade rebalancing measures are also expected to top the agenda, in the three-way meeting between the U.S. and its allies.

The meeting may also address North Korea's growing weapons program.

While President Lee Jae Myung has shown a dovish stance on North Korea so far, the three ministers are expected to coordinate messaging on deterrence and denuclearization, particularly as Russia's foreign minister Sergey Lavrov is due in Pyongyang for a "strategic dialogue" after the regional forum.

ASEAN's annual meeting of foreign ministers is the only multilateral forum North Korea has attended in the region.

However, Pyongyang is believed to have decided to skip this year's meeting, for the first time in its history of attending the forum since the year 2000,.. given its severed diplomatic ties with the host country, Malaysia.

Oh Soo-young, Arirang News.