Cho Hyun to Visit U.S.? Korea-U.S. Foreign Ministers Agree to Meet in Person
First Call After Trump's Surprise Proposal for North Korea-U.S. Talks
Last Korea-U.S. Foreign Ministers' Meeting Was in February
Second Korea-U.S. Security Consultative Meeting Delayed for Nearly Three Months with No Set Date
For the first time since U.S. President Donald Trump made his unexpected offer of dialogue to North Korean leader Kim Jong Un, the top diplomatic officials from South Korea and the United States held a telephone conversation. Emphasizing the importance of "communication," the two ministers agreed to meet in person in the near future. There is also discussion of Foreign Minister Cho Hyun making an official visit to the United States for a bilateral meeting.
According to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs on August 25, Minister Cho and U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio had a call the previous night to exchange views on Korea-U.S. relations, the situation on the Korean Peninsula, and global affairs. Immediately after the call, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs stated, "The two ministers reaffirmed that communication between South Korea and the United States is more important than ever, given recent developments in the international situation." Regarding the recent downsized and controversial Korea-U.S. combined exercise, Ulchi Freedom Shield (UFS), they added, "The two allies have decided to maintain robust combined defense readiness while continuing close communication and cooperation to promote peace on the Korean Peninsula and address the North Korean nuclear issue."
While the Ministry of Foreign Affairs provided a relatively detailed explanation of the outcome of the call, the U.S. Department of State issued only a brief two-line statement attributed to spokesperson Tommy Pigott. "Secretary Rubio noted the need for both countries to maintain close cooperation on key alliance issues," Pigott said. There was no mention of North Korea-U.S. dialogue or issues related to the Korean Peninsula.
The renewed emphasis on "communication" by the Korean and U.S. foreign ministers appears to reflect their awareness of criticism—often referred to as “Korea passing”—that there had been insufficient consultation between the two countries during President Trump’s sudden proposal for North Korea-U.S. talks. The previous foreign ministers’ meeting took place in February 2026. Although there were several opportunities to meet on the sidelines of multilateral gatherings since then, a bilateral meeting had not materialized. In addition, follow-up consultations for the Korea-U.S. Security Consultative Meeting, which first convened in early June, have been delayed for nearly three months.
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Meanwhile, President Trump posted three photos taken with Chairman Kim on his social media the previous day (U.S. local time). The photos appear to be from the first North Korea-U.S. summit in Singapore in June 2018 and the meeting at Panmunjom in June 2019. Notably, the post did not include any photos from the second North Korea-U.S. summit held in Hanoi, Vietnam, in February 2019—an event remembered by Kim as a "bad memory," which drew attention.
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