First ROK-US Diplomatic Meeting: "Firm on North Korea's Denuclearization Goal... Agreement on Alliance Modernization" (Comprehensive 2nd Report)

"Peace and Stability in the Taiwan Strait are Essential for International Security and Prosperity"... "Agreement on the Need to Strengthen Space Cooperation"

ROK-US Presidential Meeting Schedule Also Coordinated... Rubio: "Actively Reviewing" Trump's APEC Invitation

ROK-US Foreign Ministers' Meeting Held in Washington (Washington=Yonhap News) Foreign Minister Cho Hyun shakes hands with Secretary of State Marco Rubio at the State Department in Washington D.C. on the 31st (local time). 2025.7.31 [Provided by Washington Correspondent Corps. Reproduction and DB prohibited]

The Foreign Ministers of the Republic of Korea and the United States confirmed their common goal of North Korea's complete denuclearization in their first meeting since the inauguration of the Lee Jae-myung administration and agreed to strengthen trilateral cooperation among the ROK, the US, and Japan.

They also agreed to further strengthen the ROK-US alliance and modernize it in a way that enhances its strategic importance amidst changes in the regional security environment.

Foreign Minister Cho Hyun met with Secretary of State Marco Rubio for the first time since his inauguration on the afternoon of the 31st (local time) at the State Department building in Washington D.C., exchanging views on the ROK-US alliance, ROK-US-Japan cooperation, North Korea issues, and regional affairs.

The two ministers "reaffirmed that the ROK-US alliance is a key pillar for peace, stability, and prosperity not only on the Korean Peninsula but also in the region," the Ministry of Foreign Affairs stated.

They added, "They agreed on the need to further strengthen the alliance and modernize it in a way that further enhances its strategic importance in response to the changing regional security and economic environment."

Alliance modernization refers to the process of refining the alliance to address the changed geopolitical environment and complex security threats. There is much speculation that the US wishes to expand the role of the ROK-US alliance, which has focused on North Korea, to counter China.

It is understood that the US is pursuing "strategic flexibility," which expands the role of the US Forces Korea, previously focused on responding to North Korea's nuclear program, to the Indo-Pacific region, including the Taiwan contingency, as part of alliance modernization.

In this regard, a senior government official met with Washington-based correspondents and stated, "We believe there can be changes in the role and nature of US Forces Korea due to various factors."

The two ministers also reaffirmed their consensus on the goal of North Korea's complete denuclearization.

In a press release, the State Department stated that the two ministers "reaffirmed their firm commitment to North Korea's complete denuclearization and the full implementation of international sanctions and expressed grave concern over the increasing military cooperation between North Korea and Russia."

The Ministry of Foreign Affairs also stated that both sides "firmly adhered to the goal of North Korea's complete denuclearization" and that "the two ministers shared mutual assessments regarding North Korea and agreed to maintain close communication and cooperation between the two countries on North Korea issues going forward."

This reaffirms the ROK and US commitment to maintaining the goal of denuclearization and cooperating on it, despite Kim Yo Jong, Vice Department Director of the Workers' Party of Korea, hinting at an intention for nuclear disarmament talks with the US on the 29th, predicated on recognition of North Korea as a nuclear-armed state. However, the ROK's press release did not include concerns about North Korea-Russia cooperation or the intention for sanctions implementation.

The two ministers also emphasized that "maintaining peace and stability across the Taiwan Strait has been an indispensable element for the security and prosperity of the international community," the State Department reported.

The Ministry of Foreign Affairs only mentioned that the two ministers "agreed to promote cooperation between the two countries for peace and stability in the Indo-Pacific region," without directly mentioning the issue of Taiwan.

The two countries also agreed that ROK-US-Japan cooperation should continue based on stable ROK-Japan relations.

The Ministry of Foreign Affairs stated, "The two ministers shared the view that the stable development of ROK-Japan friendly cooperation relations is an important foundation for ROK-US-Japan cooperation, and they agreed to continue developing ROK-US-Japan cooperation based on the strong ROK-US alliance."

The State Department also stated that they discussed the importance of continuing to advance trilateral cooperation among the ROK, the US, and Japan, which plays an essential role in deterrence and resilience against regional security threats.

The two ministers also discussed efforts to advance mutual prosperity, including strengthening supply chains and cooperation in core and emerging technologies.

Minister Cho emphasized his hope to develop cooperation in advanced technology fields such as artificial intelligence (AI), nuclear energy, and quantum as a third pillar of bilateral cooperation, in addition to the two pillars of security and economy that have formed the foundation of the ROK-US alliance.

Furthermore, the two ministers "agreed on the need to strengthen space cooperation and to strengthen inter-governmental cooperation systems to concretize this," the Ministry of Foreign Affairs reported.

The two ministers congratulated the conclusion of the ROK-US customs negotiations and coordinated the schedule for the ROK-US presidential meeting, which President Trump announced would take place in Washington within two weeks.

Minister Cho reminded that President Trump was invited to the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) Summit to be held in Gyeongju in late October and requested US support and cooperation for the successful hosting of the APEC Summit. In response, Secretary Rubio stated that he was well aware of this and would actively review it, according to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

ROK-US Foreign Ministers' Meeting [Provided by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs]