Manila: Foreign Minister Cho Hyun sought to deepen cooperation with regional partners during a series of Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN)-led meetings in the Philippines this week. As Seoul navigates mounting security and economic challenges from the Middle East conflict and North Korea, these efforts come at a crucial time.
According to Yonhap News Agency, Cho's two-day visit to Manila, which concluded Thursday, underscored an increasingly divided regional landscape. Pyongyang was absent from the ASEAN Regional Forum (ARF) for the second consecutive year, and no significant exchanges took place between South Korea and either China or Russia. Cho participated in various ASEAN-related meetings, including the South Korea-ASEAN foreign ministers' meeting, the ASEAN Plus Three (APT) foreign ministers' meeting, the ARF, and the East Asia Summit (EAS) foreign ministers' meeting, while also engaging in bilateral talks with regional partners.
Throughout the gatherings, Cho reaffirmed Seoul's commitment to pursuing peaceful coexistence on the Korean Peninsula and continuing efforts to resume dialogue with Pyongyang "with patience." Many participating countries supported Seoul's approach and urged North Korea to halt its nuclear and missile development, emphasizing the need for the denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula, as stated by the foreign ministry.
The ARF has long been regarded as the only regional multilateral security forum involving the two Koreas. However, North Korea's absence for the second year in a row reflects its growing preference for bilateral diplomacy with Russia and China over multilateral engagement.
Washington's focus on the Middle East conflict and other global issues appears to have diminished the forum's relevance for North Korea. Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi did not attend the ARF session, and Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov left after delivering his remarks. Although Cho and Lavrov greeted each other during the ARF meeting, no substantive exchange occurred.
Seoul and Beijing are coordinating the timing of Wang's visit to South Korea, which could occur as early as next month. Meanwhile, Seoul's coordination with Washington and Tokyo remains active. Cho held a trilateral meeting with U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio and Japanese Foreign Minister Toshimitsu Motegi on the sidelines of the ASEAN-related meetings, reaffirming their commitment to maintaining a robust deterrence posture against North Korea.
In a separate readout, the U.S. State Department highlighted the emphasis on maintaining peace and stability across the Taiwan Strait and expressed concerns over China's recent intercontinental ballistic missile launch into the Pacific. Cho also held talks with U.S. Deputy Secretary of State Allison Hooker to discuss issues, including security consultations on Seoul's nuclear-powered submarines and student visa concerns.
At the APT meeting, South Korea, China, Japan, and the 11 ASEAN member states emphasized addressing Korean Peninsula issues through dialogue. The EAS ministerial talks included discussions on regional flashpoints such as the South China Sea, Myanmar, and the Middle East.
In addition to multilateral meetings, Cho met with counterparts from Britain, the European Union, Canada, Australia, New Zealand, and six ASEAN member states. These meetings focused on expanding practical cooperation in response to supply chain disruptions and regional security uncertainties.
The meetings highlighted Seoul's efforts to strengthen ties with like-minded partners while reinforcing ASEAN's central role in regional cooperation amid deepening geopolitical divisions, the ministry stated.