SEOUL, September 19 (AJP) - South Korean Foreign Minister Cho Hyun and U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio agreed Friday to deepen cooperation on the Strait of Hormuz and Korean investment in the United States, a day after President Lee Jae Myung ruled out any deployment that could draw Seoul into the Middle East war and said parts of a nearly completed U.S. investment deal remained difficult to accept.
Cho and Rubio reaffirmed their commitment to the U.S.-South Korea alliance and agreed to work toward a successful outcome in ongoing talks over South Korean strategic investment projects in the United States, according to Seoul's Foreign Ministry. They also agreed to continue implementing agreements reached between the two countries' leaders, including their 2025 Joint Fact Sheet.
The U.S. State Department said Rubio stressed the need for swift execution of investment commitments under the Joint Fact Sheet. He also called for a fair, transparent and equitable business environment for U.S. companies in South Korea, stronger supply chains for critical industries and continued cooperation in strategic sectors including semiconductors.
On the Strait of Hormuz, Rubio emphasized cooperation to secure freedom of navigation, while Cho told him that Seoul was willing to make a practical contribution toward restoring free passage through the strategically vital waterway, which carries a significant share of global energy shipments.
The two ministers also reaffirmed their commitment to North Korea's complete denuclearization. Seoul said Cho pledged to actively support a resumption of dialogue between Washington and Pyongyang, while the U.S. readout highlighted continued trilateral cooperation among the United States, South Korea and Japan on regional security.
At a news conference in Seoul on Thursday, Lee said there would be no troop deployment that involved South Korea in the war, although the government was considering stronger measures to protect Korean citizens, commercial vessels and energy routes. On U.S. investment, he said negotiations were close to agreement but that there were still “parts that are not easy to agree to,” adding that any deal must protect South Korea's national interests and meet standards of commercial rationality.
AJP Takeaways
- Seoul and Washington agreed to keep working on Hormuz security and Korean investment in the United States.
- Rubio called for swift investment implementation, while Cho signaled a practical Korean contribution to freedom of navigation.
- The talks followed Lee's rejection of war-related deployment and his call for commercially rational U.S. investment terms.
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