Korea-US-Japan Foreign Ministers Head to Brazil... North Korea-Japan Diplomatic Signals Amid North Korea Cooperation

Cho Tae-yeol, Minister of Foreign Affairs

The foreign ministers of South Korea, the United States, and Japan are expected to meet on the sidelines of the G20 Foreign Ministers' Meeting held in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, on the 21st and 22nd, drawing attention to whether they will issue a steadfast message of cooperation on North Korea.

According to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs on the 18th, Foreign Minister Cho Tae-yul, U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken, and Japanese Foreign Minister Kamikawa Yoko are scheduled to attend the G20 Foreign Ministers' Meeting together this week.

This will be Minister Cho's first face-to-face meeting with Secretary Blinken and Foreign Minister Kamikawa since his appointment, and bilateral talks between South Korea and the U.S. and between South Korea and Japan are highly likely to be held. Earlier, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs confirmed Minister Cho's attendance at the G20 and announced plans for separate bilateral meetings with key ministers. If a South Korea-Japan bilateral meeting takes place, it is expected to provide an opportunity for direct communication between the two foreign ministers regarding diplomatic signals between North Korea and Japan.

The first trilateral meeting among the three ministers is also expected to be naturally pursued. They are predicted to reaffirm the united trilateral cooperation on North Korea amid the increasing volatility of the Korean Peninsula situation. In particular, the government is reportedly recognizing the need to reaffirm the trilateral commitment to cooperation on North Korea, considering the recent atmosphere of dialogue exploration between North Korea and Japan.

Although the timing has not yet been finalized, trilateral communication at the vice-ministerial level is also expected to be promoted. On the 15th, First Vice Minister of Foreign Affairs Kim Hong-kyun and newly appointed U.S. Deputy Secretary of State Kurt Campbell spoke by phone and agreed to hold a South Korea-U.S.-Japan vice-ministerial meeting at an "appropriate time" after consultations with Japan. Deputy Secretary Campbell expressed hope to visit South Korea "as soon as possible." The South Korea-U.S.-Japan Foreign Vice Ministers' Meeting is a regular forum to discuss trilateral cooperation on North Korean nuclear issues and regional and global matters, and this time it is scheduled to be held in Seoul.

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