(Seoul = Yonhap News) Reporter Ji-heon Kim = Attention is being paid to whether Minister of Foreign Affairs Cho Hyun will be able to revive the spark of security discussions between Korea and the United States by meeting with high-ranking U.S. officials in one place for the first time since the U.S. midterm elections.
According to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs on the 8th, Minister Cho left for Paris, France to attend this year's second meeting of foreign ministers of the Group of Seven (G7) countries.
U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio's participation in the meeting was also confirmed, making this the first face-to-face meeting between Secretary Cho and Secretary Rubio since the U.S. midterm elections, whose results were released on the 4th.
However, it has been reported that it has not yet been decided whether to hold a bilateral meeting with Secretary Rubio in a somewhat chaotic atmosphere due to the nature of a multilateral meeting with multiple schedules and the host country, France, hastily changing the venue from Marseille to Paris due to domestic protests.
There is a possibility that it will happen at the last minute, but as of now, there is a high possibility that it will be held in a full-side meeting, as was the case during the recent meeting of foreign ministers of the G20.
Minister Cho had a full-side chat with Secretary Rubio on the occasion of the G20 meeting held in Atlanta, USA on the 30th of last month, before the US midterm elections, and discussed the issue of issuance of US visas to domestic politicians, which was a major issue at the time.
Previously, on September 18, Minister Cho visited Washington, DC, and had a formal meeting with Secretary Rubio and exchanged opinions on pending issues such as investment in the United States, security consultations, the Hormuz issue, and North Korea-US dialogue.
When Minister Cho meets with Secretary Rubio in Paris, the agenda items that will be discussed first include the progress of security consultations to discuss Korea's nuclear fuel enrichment and reprocessing and fuel procurement for nuclear-powered submarines, and the issue of contributing to freedom of navigation in Hormuz.
There has been no news on security consultations since the announcement of the ROK-US joint fact sheet (joint explanatory material) in November last year and the first working meeting held in June this year. In the case of Hormuz, the government recently announced the expansion of the Cheonghae Unit's mission area, bringing us a little closer to making a 'substantial contribution'.
The problem is whether the Republican administration of Donald Trump, of which Secretary Rubio is a member, has the momentum to move forward in security discussions between Korea and the United States after the crushing defeat in the election.
Although it is said that there is little room for Congress to intervene in the matter agreed upon at the inter-administrative summit, there are observations that it is difficult to expect the working-level staff of the US administration, which has been passive in discussions due to the Iran war, to actively participate in security discussions between Korea and the US at this point.
Even so, security consultations are an issue that the Korean government must continue to build momentum for, and as it is a task led by the executive branch in the U.S. political system, the position is that they will continue to communicate with the U.S., a source said.
Minister Cho is expected to hold a bilateral meeting with the host country, France, and is expected to pursue separate meetings with major countries such as the UK and Germany.
Since European countries have led the international community's movement toward free navigation in the Strait of Hormuz, Minister Cho can emphasize Korea's will to contribute by mentioning the recently decided expansion of the mission area and power of the Cheonghae Unit to these countries.
There is also the possibility that European countries will inquire about Korea's position regarding the war in Ukraine, one of Europe's greatest security concerns.
Last month, the British Financial Times (FT), a major European daily newspaper, reported that Korea was seeking to improve relations with Russia and that some European diplomats were questioning whether they could continue to trust Korea, which they regarded as a country with similar positions.
The fact that South Korea has reduced diplomatic relations with Ukraine due to the breach of an undisclosed agreement to repatriate North Korean prisoners of war is also a cause for concern in Europe.
If the European side raises this issue, Minister Cho is expected to emphasize that the concerns that Korea is leaning towards Russia are not true and that the government's basic position is that it supports the international community's efforts to end the war in Ukraine and restore peace.
Ukrainian media reported that Ukrainian Foreign Minister Andriy Sibikha will also attend the meeting and hold a separate session with G7 countries. When Minister Cibiha goes to Paris, there is a possibility that he will contact Minister Cho, who has been working behind the scenes to resolve the diplomatic conflict between the two countries, and discuss the issue.
