South Korea's Foreign Minister Jo Hyun is facing uncertainty regarding a potential bilateral meeting with U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio at the G7 Foreign Ministers' Meeting. Should the meeting occur, it would likely address various issues, including the transfer of wartime operational control and the development of nuclear-powered submarines, ahead of the postponed Korea-U.S. Security Consultative Meeting (SCM) scheduled for next year.
According to the Foreign Ministry, as of November 9, the bilateral meeting has not been confirmed. Minister Jo departed for Paris, France, where the G7 Foreign Ministers' Meeting is taking place. However, the ministry indicated that schedules could be adjusted on-site, and they are considering multiple possibilities, including a brief encounter rather than a formal meeting. If Jo and Rubio do discuss Korea-U.S. issues at the G7, it would mark the first conversation on these topics since the U.S. midterm elections.
Some analysts suggest that the midterm elections have put President Donald Trump's administration in a precarious position, as the ruling Republican Party suffered significant losses in both the House and Senate. Nevertheless, Rubio has expressed confidence that foreign policy will remain primarily the responsibility of the executive branch, indicating that there will not be substantial changes in direction.
In the meantime, South Korea and the U.S. need to address several matters, including investments in the U.S., troop deployments to the Hormuz Strait, and the Coupang incident. Notably, the transfer of wartime operational control and the development of nuclear-powered submarines are expected to be key agenda items. The annual SCM has been postponed until next year, marking the first time in 28 years that it has crossed into a new year. This delay has led to speculation about potential disagreements between South Korea and the U.S. regarding the transfer of operational control and the nuclear submarine initiative.
Various interpretations have emerged regarding this situation. Jin Sung-jun, a member of the National Defense Committee from the Democratic Party, held a press conference the previous day, stating that the postponement is unrelated to disagreements over the transfer of operational control. He emphasized that the military leadership of both countries is considering feasible schedules. He also reaffirmed that the fundamental agreement to implement a conditions-based transfer of operational control remains unchanged.
Conversely, Joseph Yun, former U.S. Special Representative for North Korea Policy, suggested in a video interview with Voice of America on November 7 that some new initiatives, such as the transfer of operational control and the introduction of nuclear submarines, might be stalled for the next two years due to a lack of momentum from either side. He predicted that pursuing new initiatives could prove challenging.
* This article has been translated by AI.
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