South Korean Foreign Minister Cho Hyun and US Secretary of State Marco Rubio held their first phone call in five months on Monday, pledging close coordination on North Korea and other alliance issues at a moment of rising diplomatic friction between the two allies.
The conversation marked the highest-level US-South Korea diplomatic contact since March, shortly after war broke out in the Middle East. Seoul’s Foreign Ministry said both ministers reaffirmed their commitment to maintaining a solid combined defense posture and to continuing cooperation on the North Korean nuclear issue.
Trump’s Drills Order Raises Concerns
The call came after US President Donald Trump abruptly ordered the allies last week to curtail their annual Ulchi Freedom Shield military exercise, calling the drills too costly and saying they sent an “inappropriate and hostile” signal to Pyongyang. South Korean officials said they were not informed in advance, sparking alarm about a potential rift in the alliance.
Trump has also said he expects to meet North Korean leader Kim Jong Un within the year, claiming Pyongyang possesses 57 nuclear weapons. He declined to confirm whether denuclearization remains a precondition for talks, raising concerns that Washington could tolerate the North’s nuclear arsenal in pursuit of a deal.
Kim Yo-jong, Kim Jong Un’s powerful sister, drew a line against South Korea’s involvement in any US-North Korea negotiations in a statement on August 20, saying Pyongyang had “no interest” in the reduced US-South Korea drills.
Denuclearization Omitted From Readouts
Seoul’s ministry readout did not explicitly mention denuclearization, though a spokesman later confirmed it was discussed. “South Korea and the United States have consistently maintained the goals of peace and stability on the Korean Peninsula and denuclearization,” spokesman Park Doo-soon said.
South Korean President Lee Jae Myung has not made denuclearization a prerequisite for dialogue, instead advocating a phased approach beginning with a freeze on North Korea’s nuclear development. Trump’s apparent openness to de facto recognition of the North’s nuclear status has drawn criticism even from pro-Trump voices. Fox News warned last week that any deal leaving the North’s weapons in place could amount to “de facto recognition as a nuclear-armed state.”
“Our government is actively working, as both a pacemaker and a party directly concerned with peace on the Korean Peninsula, to resume North Korea-U.S. dialogue.” – Park Doo-soon, South Korean Foreign Ministry spokesman
Rubio also briefed Cho on the Middle East situation, including US efforts in the Strait of Hormuz. Cho expressed South Korea’s “commitment to making a substantive contribution to restoring free passage” through the waterway, another source of recent tension after Trump accused Seoul of refusing to assist in the region.
The two ministers agreed to meet in person “in the near future.” The US State Department offered a notably briefer account, saying only that Rubio discussed “a range of issues” involving the alliance.
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