Manila, July 23 (SocialNews.XYZ) South Korea’s Foreign Minister Cho Hyun has called for faster progress in discussions with US Secretary of State Marco Rubio on security issues, including Seoul's efforts to develop nuclear-powered submarines and secure rights for uranium enrichment and spent fuel reprocessing, a senior Seoul official said Thursday.
Cho conveyed the message during brief pull-aside talks with Rubio held before and after their trilateral meeting with Japanese Foreign Minister Toshimitsu Motegi on the sidelines of Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN)-related meetings in Manila the previous day, according to the official.
The two sides had planned to hold another round of security consultations in July following their inaugural meeting last month, but a detailed schedule has yet to be announced amid Washington's focus on the Middle East conflict and other priorities, Yonhap News Agency reported.
The consultations, along with Seoul's investment commitments in the United States and bilateral shipbuilding cooperation, are among the key items outlined in a joint fact sheet adopted after last year's summit between President Lee Jae Myung and US President Donald Trump.
Cho also briefly met with US Under Secretary of State for Political Affairs Allison Hooker in Manila ahead of the trilateral talks and delivered a similar message, according to the official.
"Rubio and Hooker expressed understanding of Cho's remarks and shared the view that the two sides should continue close consultations on the pending issues," the official said.
The meetings took place amid tensions between the two allies over Seoul's regulatory actions involving US-listed e-commerce company Coupang following a massive data leak.
Some US lawmakers and officials have criticised Seoul's regulatory moves, alleging that they were discriminatory and unfairly targeted US businesses, while the South Korean government has maintained that the measures were conducted lawfully and applied fairly without discrimination.
"There are several issues that require further coordination. We should sort them out as soon as possible and continue strengthening communication at various levels to bring important matters between the two countries toward agreement," Cho was quoted as saying by the official.
Source: IANS
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