Trump's leadership could create 'breakthrough' with North, says South Korean foreign minister
Published: 14 Aug. 2025, 15:50
Updated: 14 Aug. 2025, 22:26
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- SEO JI-EUN
- [email protected]
Audio report: written by reporters, read by AI
![Foreign Minister Cho Hyun speaks during a press conference at the foreign ministry in Seoul on Aug. 14. [YONHAP]](https://koreaseafood.online/data/photo/2025/08/14/34eb22d6-10cc-4169-9d4a-9947963bd0c3.jpg)
Foreign Minister Cho Hyun speaks during a press conference at the foreign ministry in Seoul on Aug. 14. [YONHAP]
South Korean Foreign Minister Cho Hyun voiced hope that U.S. President Donald Trump’s leadership could create a "breakthrough" in the stalled dialogue with North Korea, while also managing the "push-and-pull" of concessions between Washington and Pyongyang.
When asked about any behind-the-scenes contact with North Korea, Cho, in his first press briefing since taking office in July on Thursday, recounted his conversations during a recent U.S. visit.
“When I met with Secretary of State Marco Rubio and White House aides, I said that the current situation seems to require President Trump’s leadership to create something new, and they responded quite positively,” the minister told reporters.
Washington’s long-held position has been that North Korea cannot possess nuclear weapons, which has led to a deadlock.
“Because of this, there will need to be a lot of push-and-pull,” he added, indicating significant negotiation and compromise may be necessary to bridge gaps.
North Korea has signaled an openness to resuming talks with the United States, but only under conditions, namely that talks must occur without prior demands on its nuclear program.
On President Lee's upcoming summit with the leaders of Japan and the United States, Cho emphasized that the unusual sequence of visiting Tokyo before Washington is intentional.
“It might be considered unconventional [...] but this was possible because the Lee Jae Myung government pursues practicality and pragmatism,” Cho said, calling it “the philosophy of 'practical diplomacy' being put into practice.”
![Foreign Minister Cho Hyun speaks during a press conference at the foreign ministry in Seoul on Aug. 14. [NEWS1]](https://koreaseafood.online/data/photo/2025/08/14/65f42807-a47c-4101-9f27-74c5d8c7452c.jpg)
Foreign Minister Cho Hyun speaks during a press conference at the foreign ministry in Seoul on Aug. 14. [NEWS1]
During the July trip, Cho also paid a courtesy call on Japanese Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba, conveying Lee’s regards and discussing ways to expand future-oriented cooperation between the two countries.
A senior South Korean official explained that Lee himself directed such emphasis on early outreach to Japan.
According to the official, the sequence of visits — with Tokyo coming first — aims to reinforce three-way cooperation among South Korea, the United States and Japan, as well as to dispel lingering skepticism in some U.S. circles that the new administration might tilt too closely toward China.
“By going to Japan and then the United States, I believe any misconceptions and stigma held in Washington about our government will be completely cleared up,” the official said, adding that “that is pragmatic diplomacy, in my view.”
Under the announced itinerary, Lee will meet with Prime Minister Ishiba in Tokyo on Aug. 23 to 24 before heading to Washington for a summit with Trump on Aug. 25.
Officials say Lee and Ishiba are expected to hold candid discussions on strengthening bilateral ties, which have often been strained by historical disputes, and to reaffirm security cooperation both one-on-one and trilaterally with the United States in the face of North Korea’s nuclear and missile threats. The two leaders may also touch on broader regional issues and ways to deepen trust as they revive “shuttle diplomacy,” the regular exchange of high-level visits that was recently restarted by their predecessors.
Officials also downplayed recent remarks by U.S. Forces Korea (USFK) Commander Gen. Xavier Brunson on “strategic flexibility,” in which he said “the conversation ought not be about number, it ought to be about capabilities,” prompting speculation over a possible reduction of the 28,500-strong American troop levels.
A senior South Korean official, however, downplayed those remarks, describing them as “just his personal view” and “not something we place great weight on.”
Regarding growing calls to recognize Palestine as a sovereign state amid ongoing conflict in Gaza, the official said that while some European countries have moved toward recognition as part of a two-state solution, this by itself does not resolve the Gaza conflict.
“The real question is how the international community can directly engage to stop the atrocities happening there,” the official said, urging countries to act “with conscience” to end the bloodshed.
In an interview with The Washington Post earlier this month, Cho explained that South Korea lacks the “luxury” to focus on issues outside its immediate region, dominated by challenges like the North Korean nuclear threat and great-power rivalries in East Asia.
BY SEO JI-EUN [[email protected]]
with the Korea JoongAng Daily
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