S. Korea says it will keep communicating on Hormuz contribution; US stresses importance of fulfilling investment pledges

The foreign ministers of South Korea and the United States held bilateral talks at the State Department in Washington on Friday (local time), aligning on the need to deliver results from South Korea's strategic investment in the US and to follow through on agreements reached between the two leaders.

Foreign Minister Cho Hyun told South Korean correspondents at a briefing at the South Korean Embassy in Washington that day that the two sides agreed to work toward a good outcome on the strategic investment projects, and that he asked Secretary of State Marco Rubio to play a role in that process.

The bilateral meeting was the first between the two foreign ministers in about seven months since February. The first project under the $350 billion strategic investment initiative had been expected to be announced on Friday in Korea time, but was pushed to next week after a National Assembly briefing was delayed.

Cho said the two sides also agreed to keep communicating to faithfully implement key agreements between the two leaders, including those in the joint fact sheet from the South Korea-US summit. The joint fact sheet covers agreements on reducing reciprocal tariffs, investment in the United States, and security matters including South Korea's construction of nuclear-powered submarines.

Earlier that day, South Korea's Ministry of Foreign Affairs said in a press release that the two ministers reaffirmed their firm commitment to the alliance and agreed to work together to further strengthen it as a linchpin of peace and prosperity on the Korean Peninsula and across the Indo-Pacific region.

On the Middle East situation, including the war involving Iran, Cho said he stressed his government's willingness to make a tangible contribution alongside the United States and the international community to restore freedom of navigation through the Strait of Hormuz, and that the two sides agreed to stay in close contact on the matter. Rubio briefed Cho on US efforts to restore peace and stability in the region.

The two ministers also shared assessments of the current situation on the Korean Peninsula and agreed to continue close coordination on North Korea policy — including US-North Korea dialogue — while working to achieve denuclearization and peace and stability on the peninsula through dialogue and diplomacy.

Cho added that he emphasized his government's intention to actively support the resumption of US-North Korea dialogue in its role as a direct stakeholder and peacemaker on the Korean Peninsula.

Cho also met with Elbridge Colby, US undersecretary of defense for policy, and said the two agreed to continue close cooperation on issues including the transfer of wartime operational control. Cho said Colby spoke highly of South Korea's efforts to strengthen alliance capabilities and expand its role, including through increased defense spending.

Meanwhile, President Lee Jae Myung said at a press conference on Friday that South Korea would not deploy troops "in a way that involves or intervenes in the war," in response to a US request for a troop deployment to the Strait of Hormuz. However, Lee said the Cheonghae Unit was already deployed in the Middle East to respond to threats to South Korean citizens such as piracy, and acknowledged that the government was "reviewing and deliberating" on strengthening that mission.