South Korea, Japan and the US seek to coordinate their responses to North Korea and other regional security challenges while reinforcing economic and defense cooperation, at a trilateral foreign ministers' meeting planned for Tuesday, Seoul's Foreign Ministry said.
According to the Foreign Ministry, Foreign Minister Cho Hyun will meet with US Secretary of State Marco Rubio and Japanese Foreign Minister Motegi Toshimitsu on Tuesday evening on the sidelines of the NATO summit in Turkey.
"At the meeting — the first trilateral foreign ministers' talks among the three countries to be held this year — the ministers are expected to discuss issues related to the Korean Peninsula, regional and global developments, and trilateral security and economic cooperation," the ministry said in a statement.
Speaking at a regular briefing Tuesday, Lee Moon-bae, deputy spokesperson for the Foreign Ministry, said, "Given that the three countries have been discussing various trilateral cooperation projects, we expect the meeting to provide an opportunity for more concrete discussions."
He added that economic security would be a key agenda item, with the three sides expected to discuss cooperation amid intensifying US-China strategic competition and the restructuring of global supply chains.
President Lee Jae Myung left for Ankara earlier Tuesday to attend the two-day NATO summit, his second multilateral summit since taking office following last month's Group of 7 meeting in Canada.
The ministry did not disclose a detailed agenda, but said it expected the talks to focus on coordinating North Korea policies amid concerns over Pyongyang's advancing nuclear and missile programs and its growing military cooperation with Russia. The three ministers will also likely exchange views on efforts to maintain pressure on North Korea while keeping the door open for dialogue.
The meeting is also expected to address broader security issues in the Indo-Pacific region, including Russia's war in Ukraine and China's growing military assertiveness and maritime activities, and efforts to strengthen deterrence and regional stability through closer trilateral coordination.
The ministers are also expected to discuss ways to expand cooperation beyond security, including supply chain resilience, critical and emerging technologies such as artificial intelligence and semiconductors, economic security, and preparations for upcoming trilateral engagements between the three governments.
The NATO gathering also provides another opportunity for high-level diplomacy between Seoul and Washington. US President Donald Trump is expected to attend the summit as the alliance grapples with Russia's continuing war in Ukraine and renewed US pressure on European allies to increase defense spending. The summit also comes amid lingering tensions over the recent US-Iran conflict and broader security concerns facing the alliance.
The attention is focused on whether South Korea and the United States will hold a bilateral foreign ministers' meeting on the sidelines of the NATO summit.
If such talks take place, the two sides are expected to discuss security issues, including South Korea's pursuit of nuclear-powered submarines and expanded rights to use nuclear energy, and the recent controversy surrounding Coupang.
This follows the release of an interim report by the US House Judiciary Committee titled "Closed for Competition: South Korea's Discriminatory Attacks on American-owned Businesses," which accused South Korean authorities of subjecting Coupang to discriminatory treatment and unfair enforcement practices. A White House official also said, "By any reasonable standard, Coupang is being singled out by the Lee Jae Myung administration," adding that the US government is "deeply concerned by the South Korean government's discriminatory targeting of an American company."
A Foreign Ministry official, speaking on condition of anonymity, said Seoul is seeking to arrange bilateral foreign ministers' meetings with the US and other countries on the sidelines of the NATO summit, but stressed that none of the meetings has yet been confirmed.
At the trilateral meeting in Turkey, the ministers are expected to discuss ways to expand cooperation in the defense industry, as Seoul seeks to position itself as a more active security partner for the US and Japan and a growing supplier of advanced weapons systems to like-minded countries. The talks could touch on defense supply chains, joint production, technology cooperation and coordination with NATO partners, amid rising demand for munitions and military equipment driven by the war in Ukraine and broader regional security concerns.
The NATO meeting follows a setback for South Korea's defense industry after Canada on Tuesday selected Germany's Thyssenkrupp Marine Systems over a South Korean consortium led by Hanwha Ocean and HD Hyundai Heavy Industries as the preferred bidder for its submarine procurement program worth up to 60 trillion won ($39.4 billion).
Responding to the decision, Lee expressed disappointment but said South Korea's inclusion in the final competition demonstrated the country's growing capabilities as a global defense exporter, pledging continued government support for the industry.
The outcome is expected to lend additional significance to Lee's participation in the NATO Defense Industry Forum, where South Korea is expected to showcase its expanding defense manufacturing capabilities and seek deeper cooperation with NATO partners.
mkjung@heraldcorp.com
