Foreign Minister Cho to visit Japan, U.S. this week for talks with counterparts: Sources

Minister of Foreign Affairs Cho Hyun speaks during a Cabinet meeting at the presidential office in Yongsan, central Seoul on July 22. [JOINT PRESS CORPS]

 
Foreign Minister Cho Hyun plans to visit Japan and the United States later this week to hold talks with his counterparts of the two countries, diplomatic sources said Monday.
 
Cho is expected to make a two-day trip to Tokyo starting Tuesday and meet one-on-one with Japanese Foreign Minister Takeshi Iwaya, before flying to Washington for talks with U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio on Friday, the sources said.
 
If confirmed, they would mark Cho’s first bilateral talks with his respective Japanese and U.S. counterparts since taking office early last week.
 
Japan’s Kyodo News also reported Monday that Seoul and Tokyo were fine-tuning the details for Cho’s visit to Japan.
 
Cho’s likely two-nation swing comes as South Korea’s tariff negotiations with the United States are at a critical juncture this week amid the looming Aug. 1 deadline set by the Donald Trump administration. Unless a trade deal is reached, Korean goods will be subject to a 25 percent U.S. reciprocal tariff and sectoral duties.
 
Top Seoul officials have been racing to strike an agreement to reduce the steep tariffs and minimize the impact on its export-dependent economy.
 
In Tokyo, Cho could use the talks with Iwaya to exchange opinions on the U.S. tariffs, as Japan had reached an agreement with the Trump administration just the previous week.
 

Minister of Foreign Affairs Cho Hyun holds a bouquet of flowers during his appointment ceremony at the ministry building in Jongno District, central Seoul on July 21. [JOINT PRESS CORPS]

 
Under the deal, the United States will impose a 15 percent reciprocal rate on Japanese products, 10 percentage points lower than the previously announced rate. The deal also includes Japan’s pledge to invest $550 billion in building and expanding core American industries.
 
Besides the tariffs, Cho and Iwaya are expected to discuss shared bilateral issues, including North Korea’s nuclear and missile threats, and reaffirm their commitment to advancing bilateral ties, as well as trilateral cooperation with the U.S.
 
During their first phone call on Thursday, the two ministers agreed that their countries should continue bilateral cooperation to address shared regional and global challenges, and pledged to maintain close high-level communication, including at the leaders’ level.
 
Cho has yet to hold a phone conversation with Rubio. His apparent decision to visit Japan before the United States is seen as atypical, as newly appointed foreign ministers have generally chosen Washington as their first stop for diplomatic talks.
 

Yonhap