Cho Hyun May Hold Talks with US Secretary of State at G7 Foreign Ministers' Meeting

Regarding US Troop Deployment Request

"A Situation That Could Be Considered a Request, or Not"

Minister of Foreign Affairs Cho Hyun is expected to hold talks with US Secretary of State Marco Rubio during his visit to France to attend the '2026 1st G7 Foreign Ministers' Expanded Meeting'.

Ministry of Foreign Affairs building. Photo by Yonhap News

Park Il, spokesperson for the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, held a briefing at the Government Complex Seoul on the 17th and stated, "By attending this meeting, the government aims to strengthen the partnership between Korea and the G7 and enhance our status as a responsible global power."

Minister Cho is also scheduled to hold separate bilateral meetings with foreign ministers of other countries participating in the meeting and other key figures, to discuss bilateral relations, substantive cooperation, and regional issues. In particular, it is anticipated that a meeting with Secretary Rubio will take place on the sidelines of this meeting.

Regarding this, an official from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs said, "If Secretary Rubio attends the G7 meeting, a Korea-US or Korea-US-Japan meeting will likely be pursued. We will move forward with the meeting if it is confirmed that Secretary Rubio will attend, while checking the participation status of other ministers."

Minister Cho also stated at the plenary session of the National Assembly's Foreign Affairs and Unification Committee held that morning, "The G7 Foreign Ministers' Meeting will take place near Paris, France, on March 25, and Korea has been invited. If I attend, it is likely that I will have a meeting with Secretary Rubio."

If the meeting between the two ministers takes place, it would follow a phone call between the ministers on the previous night, which was initiated at the US side's request. While Secretary Rubio did not directly request the dispatch of a warship during the call, there is speculation that he may have provided an explanation to the Korean government regarding the potential deployment.

During the Foreign Affairs and Unification Committee meeting on the same day, Minister Cho was also asked repeatedly whether there had been any official or unofficial requests from the US side regarding the dispatch of a warship to the Strait of Hormuz. In response, Minister Cho answered, "It is a situation where it could be considered a request or not," and added, "As for whether the US and Korea have discussed the dispatch itself, it is difficult to provide an answer at this time." He continued, "Regarding the issue of the Strait of Hormuz, we are closely communicating with the US through various channels while monitoring posts by US President Donald Trump on social media."

Regarding this, an official from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs said, "After President Trump's remarks, we are observing how the US will concretize and develop its plans, and we will review our response accordingly."

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.