US Secretary of State Marco Rubio arrives prior to a closed briefing on Iran for members of the House of Representatives on Capitol Hill in Washington on June 27. Top US diplomat Marco Rubio has called off what would have been his first visit to Seoul since taking office, which had been scheduled for early July, according to Seoul.
Rubio, who serves as US Secretary of State and acting White House National Security Advisor, had originally planned to travel to South Korea in the second week of July, before the ASEAN-related foreign ministers’ meetings set for July 10–11 in Malaysia.
Rubio had planned to travel to South Korea after a stop in Japan, according to diplomatic sources in Seoul.
“Korea and the United States had been discussing the possibility of Secretary Rubio visiting Seoul. However, due to internal circumstances in the US, his visit to Korea appears unlikely to take place for the foreseeable future,” the presidential office said Thursday. “Korea and the US plan to continue consultations on exchanges of high-level officials.”
Woo Sang-ho, senior presidential secretary for political affairs, said Thursday that trade “negotiations or any diplomatic matters with South Korea were not considerations” in the cancellation of Rubio’s trip to Seoul.
A Foreign Ministry official, speaking on condition of anonymity, said the US side had provided “sufficient explanations” for the cancellation of Rubio’s trip to Seoul.
The US asked the South Korean government for its understanding, explaining that Rubio’s visit would be difficult to carry out due to pressing developments in the Middle East, The Korea Herald learned.
The decision appears to have been influenced by a planned meeting between US President Donald Trump and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu at the White House on July 7, where the two leaders are expected to discuss a potential ceasefire between Israel and Hamas in Gaza, as well as other regional issues.
The Korea Herald learned that Seoul views it as unfeasible for Rubio to visit Seoul after the ASEAN-related foreign ministers’ meetings.
Had his first visit to Seoul proceeded, Rubio was expected to engage in discussions related to a prospective South Korea–US summit, which Seoul aims to hold from late July to early August in the US.
The Korea Herald learned that the timeframe for the Korea-US summit is unlikely to be affected and that communications to arrange the summit are ongoing.
Given that confirmation hearings for Foreign Minister nominee Cho Hyun have not concluded, Rubio was expected to meet with South Korean National Security Adviser Wi Sung-lac. The two previously met on the sidelines of the NATO summit in The Hague, Netherlands, on June 25.
Due to the confirmation process, South Korea will dispatch First Vice Foreign Minister Park Yoon-joo to the ASEAN-related foreign ministers’ meetings, including the ASEAN Plus Three Foreign Ministers’ Meeting, the East Asia Summit Foreign Ministers’ Meeting and the ASEAN Regional Forum.
This marks the first time a South Korean foreign minister has skipped such events since 1990.
dagyumji@heraldcorp.com