Will S. Korea, U.S., Japan hold trilateral at ASEAN ministerial meeting ahead of Russia-N. Korea talks?

The annual series of ASEAN-related meetings takes place this week in Malaysia.. and 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 looking to hold a high-level meeting in Kuala Lumpur, 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 ASEAN Regional Forum of foreign ministers which runs till Friday.

South Korea this year is being represented by Park Yoon-joo, the First Vice Foreign Minister, as Foreign Minister nominee Cho Hyun hasn't yet been confirmed by parliament.

If held, Park's meeting with U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio and Japan's Foreign Minister Takeshi Iwaya, would be significant.

It will mark the first high-level trilateral under South Korea's Lee Jae Myung Administration, and fall during the first official trip to Asia made by the U.S. Secretary.

South Korea, the U.S., and Japan are invited dialogue partners to the annual conference of 10 Southeast Asian nations, which features economic and security talks concerning the region.

Tariff-related concerns are likely to dominate discussions this year, after Washington this week renewed its threat to slap reciprocal duties on over a dozen trading partners, mostly those in the Indo-Pacific.

As such, America's so-called trade rebalancing is expected to be addressed in its three-way meeting, as Seoul and Tokyo face 25 percent tariffs from August 1st.

The three sides may also address North Korea's growing security threat, and coordinate messaging on deterrence and denuclearization, as Russia's Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov is due in Pyongyang for a "strategic dialogue" after the regional forum.

It's uncertain how far Seoul's rhetoric might go, given the Lee Administration's dovish stance so far on inter-Korean relations.

Park notably did not mention North Korea in his remarks in his engagements Thursday, focusing instead on regional diplomacy.

At the meeting of ASEAN and its 3 Northeast Asian partners --South Korea, Japan and China, Park emphasized Seoul's commitment to strengthening trilateral cooperation with Tokyo and Beijing, to align with ASEAN's goals, especially amid rising uncertainty and challenges in the region.

His meeting with the Japanese and Chinese ministers marks the first senior-level contact between the three sides under South Korea's new government.

Earlier in the day, Park took part in the Korea-ASEAN Foreign Ministers' Meeting, to adopt an updated 5-year plan to fulfil their Comprehensive Strategic Partnership reached last year.

The new action plan includes peace, not only security, cooperation on the Korean Peninsula, along with cybersecurity, maritime issues, and digital transition.

Oh Soo-young, Arirang News.