Seoul: The top diplomats from South Korea, the United States, and Japan are set to convene in Manila this week, focusing on coordination regarding North Korea and enhancing trilateral economic and security cooperation, as announced by Seoul's foreign ministry on Monday. Foreign Minister Cho Hyun will meet with U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio and Japanese Foreign Minister Toshimitsu Motegi on Wednesday. This meeting will occur on the sidelines of various Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN)-related ministerial meetings in the Philippine capital.
According to Yonhap News Agency, the meeting follows a discussion held approximately two weeks ago, where the three ministers met on the sidelines of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) summit in Ankara. The agenda is expected to cover issues related to North Korea, the enhancement of trilateral security cooperation and economic relationships, as well as the Middle East crisis and other regional and global developments.
Earlier this month, the ministers reaffirmed their commitment to the denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula and agreed to continue efforts to engage in dialogue with Pyongyang. Additionally, the three countries signed a memorandum of cooperation to establish a framework for the deployment of small modular reactors (SMRs) in third countries, particularly within the Indo-Pacific region.
Cho's two-day visit to the Philippines, starting Tuesday, involves participation in several ASEAN-related meetings, including the Korea-ASEAN foreign ministers' meeting, the ASEAN Plus Three ministerial meeting, the ASEAN Regional Forum (ARF) foreign ministers' meeting, and the East Asia Summit (EAS) foreign ministers' meeting. During these engagements, Cho is expected to reiterate Seoul's commitment to bolstering cooperation with ASEAN and outline efforts to promote peaceful coexistence and shared prosperity on the Korean Peninsula.
On the sidelines of these multilateral gatherings, Cho plans to conduct bilateral talks with counterparts from Australia, Thailand, New Zealand, Brunei, and the Philippines. Additionally, Seoul is coordinating separate bilateral discussions with the U.S., Japan, and China, as stated by ministry officials.