Top Korean, U.S. diplomats hold first meeting, begin preparing Lee-Trump summit

South Korea's Foreign Minister Cho Hyun met with U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio in Washington on Thursday local time.

This was the first foreign ministerial meeting since the launch of the Lee Jae Myung administration, setting the tone and direction of the bilateral alliance.

Our correspondent Oh Soo-young has the details.

Seoul and Washington's top diplomats reaffirmed their cooperation on handling a nuclear North Korea, and began planning a top-level summit expected within two weeks.

On Thursday local time, Foreign Minister Cho Hyun and U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio met in Washington, D.C, marking their first official talks since the Lee Jae Myung administration took office in early June.

According to their respective offices, the two officials discussed the South Korea-U.S. alliance and broader security issues in the region.

Seoul's Foreign Ministry says they exchanged views on North Korea, agreed on its complete denuclearization, with the two officials deeming it "necessary to strengthen cooperation" on Pyongyang.

They also agreed to enhance trilateral relations with Japan, based on the Seoul-Washington alliance.

The U.S. State Department's readout further expressed "serious concern" over North Korea's growing military ties with Russia, and said Cho and Rubio both committed to the full implementation of international sanctions against Pyongyang.

The statement also positioned trilateral cooperation with Tokyo as deterrence against "regional threats," as well as noting the importance of peace and stability across the Taiwan Strait.

Cho and Rubio welcomed the sudden conclusion of trade negotiations by finance and trade officials the day before, and pledged to cooperate on supply chains and emerging technologies.

In particular, Seoul emphasized a third pillar of the partnership in advanced technologies alongside security and trade cooperation.

Given that security issues were not substantively addressed in the trade negotiations, as a so-called "package deal," continued discussions are expected on "alliance modernization."

The term refers to adjusting the role and scope of the Korea-U.S. alliance in line with changing strategic conditions and as Washington presses allies to contribute more towards their own security.

The summit between Presidents Lee and Trump could serve as a starting point, with a potential 2+2 ministerial meeting to follow.

Speaking with reporters after their meeting, the Korean foreign minister said he and Rubio held constructive talks, and have started coordinating for the leaders' summit.

Trump declared the previous day that a meeting would be held within two weeks.

Separately, Cho requested Washington's support and cooperation for South Korea's hosting of this year's Asia Pacific Economic Cooperation Forum in October, having sent an invitation to President Trump to attend the Leaders' Meeting.

Rubio responded that he was well aware of this and would actively consider the request.

Oh Soo-young, Arirang News.