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South Korean foreign minister to attend NATO foreign ministers' meeting in Brussels this week

Published: 01 Apr. 2025, 15:19 Updated: 01 Apr. 2025, 17:14

SEO JI-EUN
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Foreign Minister Cho Tae-yul attends a National Security Council meeting at the government complex in Seoul on this March 24. [JOINT PRESS CORPS]

Foreign Minister Cho Tae-yul will travel to Belgium later this week to attend the foreign ministers' meeting of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO), his office said Tuesday.

Cho will take part in the session on NATO allies and Indo-Pacific partners in Brussels on Thursday, in what will mark the fourth consecutive time a South Korean top diplomat has attended the multilateral gathering, the foreign ministry in Seoul said.

Along with NATO allies, South Korea, Japan, Australia and New Zealand — NATO's four Indo-Pacific partner countries, referred to as "IP4" — will attend the meeting, as well as the European Union and Ukraine, to discuss defense and regional security cooperation.

"We expect it will serve as an important occasion to shape strategic cooperation with NATO in areas such as defense and strengthen partnership with NATO, with which we share our core values," the ministry said in a release.

On the sidelines of the main event, Cho is scheduled to hold a trilateral meeting with U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio and Japanese Foreign Minister Iwaya Takeshi and discuss North Korea’s nuclear program, regional developments and economic cooperation, according to the ministry.

At a press briefing Tuesday, ministry spokesperson Lee Jae-woong hinted at the likelihood of a bilateral meeting between Cho and Rubio.

“[There’s a good chance] the two ministers will naturally encounter each other outside of the official trilateral meeting, given they’re attending the same event,” Lee said.

Cho also plans to hold separate bilateral and other forms of talks with his counterparts from the participating countries and NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte, the ministry added.

Update, April 1: Added South Korean Foreign Ministry's comments on a South Korea-U.S.-Japan trilateral foreign ministers' meeting and a South Korea-U.S. foreign ministers' meeting on the sidelines of the NATO meeting.

BY SEO JI-EUN, YONHAP [[email protected][