Seoul: Foreign Minister Cho Hyun headed for the United States on Thursday, days before President Lee Jae Myung is set to depart for his first summit with U.S. President Donald Trump, a ministry official said. Cho had been expected to accompany Lee to Japan on Saturday for Lee's summit talks with Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba, but will apparently not be accompanying Lee on his trip to Tokyo.

According to Yonhap News Agency, given the significance and weight of this U.S. visit and the fact that it will be the first summit between South Korea and the U.S. since the launch of the new government, Cho will be visiting first to make final coordination with the U.S. side. Lee is scheduled to travel to Washington for his summit with Trump on Aug. 25.

It is not unusual for a foreign minister to visit a nation earlier than scheduled without accompanying a president, but Cho's trip to the U.S. raised speculations that there may be consultations with the U.S. side ahead of the summit talks between Lee and Trump.

Cho's trip was reportedly decided just the previous day by South Korea, and his schedule in Washington has not been finalized yet. He is reportedly accompanied by only a small group of senior officials, including the director-general for North American affairs.