South Korea’s Cho leaves for Atlanta G20 meeting and expected Rubio talks
Foreign Minister Cho Hyun is due to discuss global crises at the G20 gathering, with North Korea and bilateral security issues among the possible topics in talks with Washington.
South Korean Foreign Minister Cho Hyun departed for the United States on October 29 to attend a G20 foreign ministers’ meeting in Atlanta and is expected to meet U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio, according to Yonhap. The visit puts North Korea diplomacy and unresolved bilateral issues alongside discussions of global crises.
Cho is scheduled to stay in Atlanta through Monday. South Korea’s foreign ministry said the two-day gathering will address geopolitical crises, energy and food security, supply chains and other global challenges. Seoul is due to assume the G20 presidency in 2028 and plans to work with members to maintain continuity in those discussions, ministry officials told Yonhap.
North Korea and alliance issues on the expected agenda
Yonhap reported that Cho’s expected talks with Rubio may cover developments on the Korean Peninsula, including North Korean leader Kim Jong-un’s October 24 visit to Dandong, China, and prospects for renewed dialogue between Pyongyang and Washington. Cho has said North Korea and China may have discussed a resumption of U.S.–North Korea talks during that visit.
The expected meeting comes amid differences between Seoul and Washington over economic and security matters, Yonhap reported. They include implementation of agreements reached at the countries’ summit last year, intelligence sharing on North Korea and South Korea’s effort to regain wartime operational control. Seoul is also seeking further consultations on nuclear-powered submarines, uranium enrichment and spent fuel reprocessing.
Before leaving Incheon International Airport, Cho told reporters he planned to ask Washington to speed up visa issuance for South Korean lawmakers. He called visa refusals or delays ‘undesirable’ but said the issue had nothing to do with bilateral relations. Yonhap reported that one ruling-party lawmaker’s application remained under review and another said his application had been rejected.
Other delegations at the Atlanta G20 meeting
Russia also plans to send Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov to the October 30–31 meeting, The Kyiv Independent reported, citing Russian Foreign Ministry spokesperson Maria Zakharova. The outlet reported that preparations are underway for Ukraine–Russia–U.S. talks in Abu Dhabi in November, placing the Atlanta gathering amid renewed diplomatic activity over the war in Ukraine.
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Sources and context
- FM Cho leaves for U.S. for G20 meeting, talks with RubioYonhap News Agency
- Lavrov to travel to US for G20 meeting amid warming Washington-Moscow tiesThe Kyiv Independent
AI-assisted article checked against the listed sources. NewsJaws did not conduct interviews or attend the reported events.