SEOUL (Reuters) -South Korean Foreign Minister Cho Hyun said on Tuesday he would hold his first meeting in Tokyo with his Japanese counterpart Takeshi Iwaya since taking up his post this month before travelling to the U.S. to support trade negotiations.
Cho will also have his first meeting with U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio on July 31, as Seoul makes a final push to secure a trade deal to limit the impact of punishing U.S. tariffs due to come in on August 1.
“The tariff negotiations are nearing an end. I will provide much support for this as well,” Cho told reporters in Seoul ahead of his departure to Japan.
“But more importantly, we will discuss how to cooperate between South Korea, the U.S. and Japan as well as strengthen the U.S. alliance in a comprehensive way.”
As for his Japan visit, Cho said he would discuss important bilateral issues including historical disputes “in a future-oriented way” and agree to cooperate going forward.
“The most important thing is how to achieve peace and stability in Northeast Asia through cooperation between Korea and Japan,” Cho said.
(Reporting by Jack Kim and Joyce LeeEditing by Ed Davies)
