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Korea's foreign minister says Lee-Trump summit unlikely to be delayed to next month

Published: 04 Aug. 2025, 09:30

Korean Foreign Minister Cho Hyun, left, meets with U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio at the U.S. Department of State on July 31 in Washington. [AFP/YONHAP]

Foreign Minister Cho Hyun said Sunday last-minute coordination to set a date for a summit between President Lee Jae Myung and U.S. President Donald Trump is underway, noting the envisioned meeting will not be delayed to next month.

Last week, Trump announced that Lee will visit the White House in two weeks, as he announced Washington has agreed to lower "reciprocal" tariffs on Korea to 15 percent from the proposed 25 percent in return for massive investments and market opening.

Cho made the remark as he arrived in Seoul after back-to-back visits to the United States and Japan for his first talks with his counterparts since the launch of the Lee administration in June.

Cho said his U.S. visit, which included meetings with senior officials, including Secretary of State Marco Rubio, served as an occasion to reaffirm Washington's commitment to extended deterrence.

"[We] reaffirmed the steadfast Korea-U.S. combined response posture, and extended deterrence and agreed to continue to cooperate going forward," Cho said.

When asked about the Trump administration's push to "modernize" the alliance, Cho said the move involves taking various necessary measures, such as strengthening defense capabilities in the face of a stern international security environment, while brushing off concerns such push will affect Seoul's ties with China.

Cho said in-depth talks over a possible role change of U.S. troops in Korea did not take place, saying the two sides agreed to discuss additional matters in working-level talks going forward.

Addressing the possibility the United States may seek to reset security issues following the tariff deal, Cho said he believes the allies could reach mutually beneficial agreements in the defense sector.

Yonhap