The top diplomats of South Korea and the United States had a brief meeting in Manila on Wednesday. South Korea’s Foreign Minister Cho Hyun and US Secretary of State Marco Rubio engaged in talks following a trilateral meeting involving their Japanese counterpart, Toshimitsu Motegi. The meeting took place on the sidelines of Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN)-related gatherings in the Philippines.
The meeting occurred amidst concerns raised by the US regarding Seoul’s regulatory actions involving the US-listed e-commerce giant Coupang. This issue has sparked tensions and raised questions about its potential impact on the broader relations between the two allies, as reported by Yonhap News Agency. Both the House Judiciary Committee and a White House official criticized South Korea for what they perceived as discriminatory measures against US companies.
The Cho-Rubio meeting also focused on the implementation of a joint fact sheet released in November last year after a summit between President Lee Jae Myung and US President Donald Trump. The agreements reached during the summit included Seoul’s USD 350 billion investment package in the US in exchange for a reduced US tariff rate. Additionally, the US pledged support for South Korea’s efforts to acquire nuclear-powered submarines and enhance uranium enrichment and spent fuel reprocessing capabilities for peaceful purposes.
South Korea and the US are currently in discussions regarding the first project linked to Seoul’s investment commitments. Industry Minister Kim Jung-kwan traveled to the US for talks with US Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick. While specific candidate projects have not been disclosed by the Seoul government, Kim Yong-beom, the presidential chief of staff for policy, mentioned that the first project might become visible around August or September.
Both countries had planned to conduct a new round of security consultations around July to further discussions on submarine and civil nuclear energy cooperation. However, a detailed schedule for these consultations has not been announced yet, partly due to the US’s involvement in the Middle East conflict and other pressing issues.
