Overview
- Foreign Minister Cho Hyun met Secretary of State Marco Rubio in Washington to address President Donald Trump’s threat to lift reciprocal and sectoral tariffs on South Korea to 25 percent.
- The State Department said both sides agreed to keep working closely on civil nuclear power, nuclear-powered submarines and shipbuilding.
- Cho reiterated Seoul’s commitment to a deal that pairs a US$350 billion U.S. investment pledge with a cut in reciprocal tariffs to 15 percent, explaining the required implementing legislation.
- Rubio thanked South Korea for its role in building secure, resilient and diversified critical mineral supply chains and pledged to press U.S. agencies to advance discussions.
- The diplomats reaffirmed the goal of complete denuclearization of North Korea and underscored the importance of U.S.–Japan–ROK trilateral cooperation.