S. Korea, US coordinating Foreign Minister's possible visit to Washington

By Oh Seok-min

SEOUL, Sept. 1 (Yonhap) -- South Korea and the United States are coordinating a possible visit by Foreign Minister Cho Hyun to Washington for talks with U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio over North Korea and other key bilateral issues, officials said Tuesday.

During a phone call last week, Cho and Rubio agreed to meet "face-to-face in the near future" and continue close communication and cooperation to make progress on key issues, including economic cooperation, the North Korean nuclear issues and the Middle East crisis, according to Seoul's foreign ministry.

"Though both ministers have tight schedules, they share the view that they need to hold substantive discussions to make progress on pending issues as soon as possible," a ministry official said.

"We are working together to find the earliest possible time rather than letting the meeting be delayed," the official added.

The U.N. General Assembly could provide a venue for talks between the two top diplomats as its 81st high-level week is scheduled to take place at the U.N. Headquarters in New York from Sept. 18-28.

As the gathering brings together leaders from U.N. member states, it could also provide an opportunity for President Lee Jae Myung to meet with U.S. President Donald Trump.

"First, we plan to pursue a separate visit to Washington or another location to meet with Rubio before the New York visit," another official said. "The meeting would take place sooner rather than later, though it is unlikely to take place as early as this week."

Seoul and Washington have a range of pending issues under a joint fact sheet adopted after last year's summit between Lee and Trump, including South Korea's US$350 billion investment commitments in the U.S. and security issues.

The two nations are discussing revisions to the Korea-U.S. nuclear energy agreement, known as the 123 Agreement, to allow South Korea to enrich uranium and reprocess spent fuel. They are also discussing Seoul's push to develop nuclear-powered submarines.

The two sides had planned to hold another round of security consultations in July, following their inaugural meeting in June, but a detailed schedule has yet to be announced amid Washington's focus on the Middle East conflict.

The potential talks also come amid uncertainty over the future direction of U.S. policy toward North Korea. Trump has expressed an interest in reengaging with North Korean leader Kim Jong-un, amid concerns over whether the Trump administration remains committed to pursuing the denuclearization of North Korea.

Seoul has stressed the importance of close coordination with Washington in seeking the resumption of dialogue with Pyongyang and addressing its nuclear issues.