Manila: The top diplomats of South Korea and the United States briefly met in Manila on Wednesday, Seoul officials said, amid a range of pending alliance issues, such as follow-up measures related to a joint fact sheet covering their security, trade and investment commitments.
South Korea’s Foreign Minister Cho Hyun and US Secretary of State Marco Rubio had “pull-aside” talks shortly after a trilateral meeting involving their Japanese counterpart, Toshimitsu Motegi, took place on the sidelines of Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN)-related gatherings in the Philippines, according to Seoul’s foreign ministry officials. Cho and Rubio last held talks in February.
The meeting came as the US expressed concerns about Seoul’s regulatory actions involving US-listed e-commerce giant Coupang over its massive data leak. Tensions surrounding Coupang renewed concerns about their potential impact on broader relations between the allies, Yonhap News Agency reported.
A report by the House Judiciary Committee and a White House official criticized South Korea for what they described as discriminatory measures against US companies. Seoul has expressed regret over such responses, stressing that all regulatory measures involving Coupang were taken lawfully “in a fair and non-discriminatory manner.”
The Cho-Rubio meeting also came as Seoul and Washington are working to implement a joint fact sheet released in November last year following a summit between President Lee Jae Myung and US President Donald Trump.
The summit agreements include Seoul’s USD 350 billion investment package in the US in exchange for a reduced US tariff rate, as well as US support for South Korea’s push to acquire nuclear-powered submarines and secure uranium enrichment and spent fuel reprocessing capabilities for peaceful purposes.
As the two sides continue discussions over the first project linked to Seoul’s investment commitments, Industry Minister Kim Jung-kwan left for the US on Wednesday to hold talks with US Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick.
The Seoul government has not yet revealed specific candidate projects, but Kim Yong-beom, the presidential chief of staff for policy, said the first project could become visible around August or September.
South Korea and the US had planned to hold a new round of security consultations around July following their inaugural meeting last month to advance discussions on submarine and civil nuclear energy cooperation, but they have yet to announce a detailed schedule amid the US involvement in the Middle East conflict, among other issues.
IANS
