South Korea's Foreign Minister Cho Hyun held talks with U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio in Washington on February 3, following anticipation announced earlier this week. Amid President Trump's tariff hike threats over delays in a bilateral trade deal, the diplomats reaffirmed cooperation on nuclear submarines, shipbuilding, North Korea denuclearization, and investments.
South Korea's Foreign Minister Cho Hyun held talks with U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio in Washington on February 3 (local time), building on last week's announcement amid President Donald Trump's threat to raise tariffs on South Korean goods from 15% to 25% due to delays in Seoul's legislative approval of a bilateral trade deal.
State Department Principal Deputy Spokesperson Tommy Pigott said the discussions advanced the U.S.-ROK alliance in line with Trump-Lee Jae Myung summits. Key agreements included continued cooperation on civil nuclear power, nuclear-powered submarines, shipbuilding, and boosting South Korean investments in U.S. critical industries—echoing a November joint fact sheet on uranium rights and submarines.
The two reaffirmed commitment to North Korea's complete denuclearization and stressed U.S.-Japan-ROK trilateral ties for Indo-Pacific stability. Cho urged joint messaging to bring Pyongyang back to dialogue.
Cho reiterated Seoul's $350 billion U.S. investment pledge (annual cap $2 billion) from August/October summits, in exchange for tariff reductions—despite National Assembly delays stoking tensions.
Separately, Trade Minister Yeo Han-koo met U.S. Trade Representative officials and lawmakers to push the special bill and tackle non-tariff barriers, calling for a 'mutually beneficial' resolution.
The U.S. is consulting on formalizing tariff hikes, raising concerns. Cho is set for Rubio's Critical Minerals Ministerial on February 4 to strengthen supply chains against China's dominance.
