Munich: The top diplomats of South Korea and the United States met one-on-one Saturday for the first time since the launch of the second Donald Trump administration, with the bilateral alliance, North Korea and Trump’s tariff plans expected to be in focus.
Foreign Minister Cho Tae-yul held talks with US Secretary of State Marco Rubio on the sidelines of the Munich Security Conference, as South Korea is seeking to ensure a smooth path in its ties with the new Trump administration rolling out bold tariff policies while remaining less clear about its approach to North Korea, reports Yonhap news agency.
The talks also came at a time when Seoul is working to continue its diplomatic engagement in the wake of the shocking martial law attempt by now-impeached President Yoon Suk Yeol in early December last year.
Trump’s announcement on plans to impose tariffs on steel and aluminum, and weighing of new tariffs on vehicles and chips, have called on the need for swift coordination with Washington amid concerns South Korea could be the next target of Trump’s tariff policies.
South Korea’s foreign ministry said earlier that “bilateral economic cooperation” would be one of the key topics of their discussions, along with North Korean nuclear issues and trilateral cooperation with Japan.
Cho said that he will seek to explore in his talks with Rubio a solution to the issue of the Trump administration’s planned and potential tariffs on South Korea. Cho indicated that the discussions will touch on strategic cooperation in areas including the shipbuilding industry, atomic energy, semiconductors and artificial intelligence.
Cho stressed he plans to highlight the importance of South Korea’s role in the alliance and how its contributions align with Trump’s vision to make America great again.
IANS
