Seoul: Foreign Minister Cho Hyun stated on Sunday that efforts are underway to finalize a date for the summit between President Lee Jae Myung and U.S. President Donald Trump, emphasizing that the meeting will not be postponed to next month.

According to Yonhap News Agency, last week, President Trump announced that President Lee would visit the White House in two weeks. This announcement followed an agreement by Washington to reduce "reciprocal" tariffs on South Korea to 15 percent from the initially proposed 25 percent, in exchange for substantial investments and market openings by South Korea.

Minister Cho made these comments upon his return to Seoul after visiting the United States and Japan for the first time since the Lee administration took office in June. These visits included discussions with key officials, such as U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio, aimed at reinforcing Washington's extended deterrence commitment.

Cho noted, "We reaffirmed the steadfast South Korea-U.S. combined response posture, and extended deterrence and agreed to continue to cooperate going forward." When queried about the Trump administration's initiative to "modernize" the alliance, Cho explained that it involves necessary measures to enhance defense capabilities amidst a challenging international security landscape, dismissing concerns about potential impacts on South Korea's relations with China.

Cho further mentioned that there were no detailed discussions on possible changes to the role of U.S. troops in South Korea, with both sides agreeing to address additional matters in future working-level talks. He expressed confidence that the allies could achieve mutually beneficial agreements in the defense sector, especially in light of the recent tariff deal.