South Korea has told the U.S. it's ready to help revive dialogue with North Korea, even as Pyongyang keeps firing off missiles and shows little interest in coming back to the table.
During a phone call on Monday, South Korean Foreign Minister Cho Hyun assured Secretary of State Marco Rubio that Seoul is committed to facilitating renewed U.S.-North Korea discussions and peace on the Korean Peninsula, according to Reuters. The State Department followed up with a brief statement, stressing the need for the two countries to stay in close coordination on matters central to the alliance.
The two sides agreed to deepen cooperation on North Korea's nuclear issue, push for peace, and keep joint defenses strong. Seoul also voiced support for President Donald Trump's efforts to restart dialogue with Pyongyang, though its Foreign Ministry stopped short of explicitly reaffirming its long-standing denuclearization commitment.
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This all comes at a delicate moment for the U.S.-South Korea alliance. Trump recently announced plans to scale back joint military exercises and has praised nuclear-armed North Korea, which hasn't exactly endeared him to Seoul.
Cho flagged that South Korea's $350 billion U.S. investment pledge could become a point of friction, since Seoul hasn't finalized details despite receiving Washington's proposed projects, Reuters reported, citing Yonhap. Cho and Rubio agreed to look for mutually beneficial solutions on tariffs, investment, and security, while also discussing efforts to restore free passage through the Strait of Hormuz. The two ministers also agreed to meet again for deeper talks on key issues.
Trump has said he expects to meet North Korean leader Kim Jong Un later this year, but Kim's sister, Kim Yo Jong, has pushed back, saying there's been no recent communication between the two leaders.
And there's a notable discrepancy in how many nuclear warheads North Korea actually has. Trump's estimate of 57 is nearly half of what South Korea's Defense Minister Ahn Gyu-back believes, which ranges from 80 to 120.
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