Seoul faces tough Hormuz calculus ahead of Cho-Rubio talks

Seoul is preparing for a crucial set of talks between Foreign Minister Cho Hyun and U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio, set to take place from Thursday to Saturday. The agenda for these discussions is extensive, covering potential troop deployment from the Hormuz Strait, President Lee Jae Myung's possible informal summit with U.S. President Donald Trump at the United Nations General Assembly, and a host of unresolved bilateral issues.

These talks come amidst growing domestic opposition in South Korea to any military commitments in the Middle East.

The Ministry of Foreign Affairs announced that Cho will hold a bilateral meeting with Rubio on Friday to discuss a wide array of topics. This will include bilateral relations, issues on the Korean Peninsula, regional and global matters. Their meeting will be their first formal session since February, during which the two officials primarily focused on implementing a joint fact sheet.

Under this agreement, South Korea committed to investing $350 billion in the U.S., and Washington granted Seoul the opportunity to develop nuclear-powered submarines. They also had a brief private session in Manila in July.

The upcoming talks are expected to address follow-up matters from their previous discussions.