Minister Kang Kyung-wha to Attend Munich Security Conference in Germany from 14th to 16th... Plans to Hold Talks with Pompeo

If the South Korea-US Foreign Ministers Meeting Takes Place, "Matters Related to the Korean Peninsula Will Be Discussed"

[Image source=Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy Reporter Lim Cheol-young] Foreign Minister Kang Kyung-wha will attend the Munich Security Conference (MSC) held in Munich, Germany.

On the 11th, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs announced that Minister Kang will attend the MSC for three days from the 14th to the 16th (local time), holding bilateral talks with foreign ministers from various countries and exchanging views on major regional situations.

Spokesperson Kim In-cheol stated, "She will participate in the main panel session themed on multilateralism to explain our diplomatic policy stance related to the international community's efforts to strengthen multilateralism," adding, "She will hold numerous bilateral talks with ministers and other high-ranking officials from various countries to discuss the development of bilateral relations, evaluate high-level exchanges, strengthen practical cooperation including climate issues such as the 2nd P4G Summit, and exchange views on the Korean Peninsula, major regional situations, and cooperation on the international stage."

Minister Kang is planning to hold talks with U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo, whom she met last month in San Francisco, USA. It is also reported that she may hold talks with Japanese Foreign Minister Motegi Toshimitsu. This could lead to a Korea-U.S.-Japan ministerial meeting within a month.

If a bilateral meeting between the Korean and U.S. foreign ministers is arranged, issues concerning the Korean Peninsula are expected to be on the discussion table. Spokesperson Kim said, "We are in consultation with the U.S. side regarding the meeting schedule," and added, "If a meeting with the U.S. takes place, naturally, matters related to the Korean Peninsula will be subjects of discussion."

Discussions on the Korea-U.S. Special Measures Agreement (SMA) negotiations on defense cost-sharing, which have not scheduled a follow-up meeting since the 6th meeting last month, may also be on the table. The U.S. is pressuring South Korea both inside and outside the negotiation table to significantly increase defense costs. In response, South Korea maintains its position to keep the existing SMA framework while slightly increasing the amount of defense cost sharing.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.