South Korean Foreign Minister Cho Tae Yul and U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken met in Lima, Peru, on Thursday to discuss the escalating issue of North Korean troops deployed to Russia. The meeting, held on the sidelines of the APEC ministerial session, provided an opportunity to address pressing security challenges and strengthen the U.S.-South Korea alliance.
According to South Korea’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the talks focused on North Korea’s growing military collaboration with Russia, the trilateral partnership with Japan, and broader regional security concerns. Both Cho and Blinken underscored the threat posed by illicit military ties between Moscow and Pyongyang, calling them a danger to European security and the Indo-Pacific region. They pledged to closely monitor potential Russian military aid to North Korea, which could be offered in exchange for troop deployments, and to coordinate their responses.
Blinken reiterated the bipartisan backing for the U.S.-South Korea alliance in Congress and expressed confidence that the partnership would endure under future U.S. administrations. He reaffirmed his commitment to working with South Korea to ensure sustained progress, regardless of political shifts in Washington.
Another focal point was the upcoming trilateral summit between the U.S., South Korea, and Japan, scheduled alongside the APEC leaders’ meeting. Both diplomats highlighted recent advancements in security, economic, and technological collaboration among the three nations and agreed to address any outstanding issues to solidify their partnership further.
Cho briefed Blinken on South Korea’s preparations to host the upcoming UN conference on the Global Plastics Treaty in Busan. He proposed continued joint leadership on international environmental issues, which Blinken supported.
Just two weeks after the previous U.S.-South Korea foreign ministers’ talks in Washington, D.C., the Ministry noted that this meeting provided a crucial opportunity to align strategies on key issues ahead of the trilateral summit and the APEC leaders’ meeting.
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