S. Korea, U.S. coordinating FM Cho's U.S. visit for talks with Rubio: officials

Seoul, September 1 (Yonhap) -- South Korea and the United States are coordinating a potential visit by Foreign Minister Cho Hyun to Washington for discussions with Secretary of State Marco Rubio, officials disclosed on Tuesday. In a recent telephone conversation, Cho and Rubio mutually agreed to engage in person at an upcoming date, aiming to maintain robust communication and collaboration to advance key matters, including economic ties, the North Korean nuclear predicament, and the Middle East predicament, according to Seoul's foreign ministry.

Notwithstanding their demanding timetables, both ministers concur on the necessity of conducting substantive dialogues to make headway on pending matters as soon as feasible, a ministry official elaborated. "We are collaborating to pinpoint the earliest feasible date instead of permitting the meeting to be postponed," the official further noted.

The United Nations General Assembly may serve as a platform for dialogues between the two senior diplomats, as its 81st high-level week is slated to convene at the U.N. Headquarters in New York from September 18-28. As the assembly convenes representatives from UN member states, it could also offer President Lee Jae Myung an opportunity to meet with U.S. President Donald Trump.

"Our initial step is to orchestrate an individual visit to Washington or another venue to converse with Rubio prior to the New York assembly," another official commented. "The meeting would transpire sooner rather than later, although it is improbable to occur as soon as this week."

Seoul and Washington share a plethora of pending issues under a joint fact sheet signed following last year's summit between Lee and Trump, encompassing South Korea's $350 billion investment pledges in the U.S., security concerns, the revision of the Korea-U.S. nuclear energy pact (the 123 Agreement) to authorize South Korea's uranium enrichment and spent fuel reprocessing, and the nation's endeavor to develop nuclear-powered submarines.

The two parties had intended to convene another round of security consultations in July, following their inaugural meeting in June, but a precise schedule has yet to be formulated due to Washington's preoccupation with the Middle East strife. The upcoming talks also coincide with ambiguity surrounding the forthcoming U.S. policy approach towards North Korea.

President Trump has shown interest in reestablishing engagement with North Korean leader Kim Jong-un, amidst apprehensions regarding the consistency of the Trump administration's dedication to pursuing the denuclearization of North Korea. Seoul has underscored the significance of close coordination with Washington in striving for the reinvigoration of dialogue with Pyongyang and addressing its nuclear concerns.