Marco Rubio, U.S. Secretary of State, Visit to South Korea Next Week Canceled

Korea Economic Daily

Summary

It was announced that U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio's visit to South Korea was canceled due to internal circumstances in the U.S.
Originally, Secretary Rubio was scheduled to discuss the timeline and agenda of the U.S.-South Korea summit.
It was stated that the summit is still ongoing in its promotion, and concerns are being raised about the U.S.-South Korea relationship.

Ministry of Foreign Affairs: "The U.S.-South Korea summit is still under discussion"

U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio has canceled his planned visit to South Korea next week. Initially, Secretary Rubio was coordinating to visit South Korea on the 8th or 9th, ahead of attending the ASEAN Regional Forum (ARF) Foreign Ministers' Meeting in Malaysia.

On the 3rd, the Presidential Office issued a statement saying, "South Korea and the U.S. have kept the possibility of Secretary Rubio's visit open, but due to internal circumstances in the U.S., it appears a near-term visit will be difficult." They added, "The two countries will continue discussions regarding exchanges of high-level officials." An official from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs said, "The U.S. side explained the internal reasons sufficiently to us and asked for our understanding." It is speculated that the schedule—in which U.S. President Donald Trump will meet with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu at the White House on the 7th (local time) to discuss issues including a ceasefire—may have had an impact.

Within government circles, there is speculation that the summit between President Trump and the South Korean President may be postponed until after next month, and there are growing concerns regarding the U.S.-South Korea relations. It was originally announced that Secretary Rubio was to discuss specific schedules and agendas for the U.S.-South Korea summit, which was being coordinated for this or next month. In this regard, an official from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs said, "Regardless of whether Secretary Rubio visits or not, the two countries are continuing to communicate to hold the summit at the earliest possible date."

Meanwhile, China is seeking to invite President Lee to the 'War of Resistance Against Japan and the World Anti-Fascist War (World War II) 80th Anniversary Celebration,' widely known as the Victory Day commemoration, to be held in Beijing (北京) on September 3.

President Lee is also considering visiting Japan in the near future to meet with Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba. The Presidential Office commented, "Through a series of recent summit diplomatic events, South Korea and Japan have reaffirmed their intention to restore shuttle diplomacy." The exact date, however, is still being coordinated.

Hyunil Lee / Hyeongkyu Kim, hiuneal@hankyung.com