Korean, US FMs to meet this week amid investment deals, Hormuz discussions

South Korea and the United States are set to hold foreign minister talks in Washington this week, with Seoul’s investment pledge and the Strait of Hormuz likely high on the agenda. Foreign Minister Cho Hyun is scheduled to meet U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio on Friday, marking their first formal bilateral face-to-face talks since February. The two sides are also expected to discuss North Korea, nuclear cooperation and Middle East issues.

Cho Hyun is scheduled to visit Washington from Thursday to Saturday and meet Marco Rubio on Friday, U.S. time.

The meeting will be the first formal bilateral face-to-face talks between Cho and Rubio since February.

The talks come as Seoul is expected to unveil its first U.S.-bound investment project this week under a joint fact sheet linked to last year’s summit between Lee Jae Myung and Donald Trump.

The summit agreement includes South Korea’s US$350 billion investment commitment in the U.S. in return for lower U.S. tariff rates.

The two countries are discussing revisions to the 123 Agreement to allow South Korea to enrich uranium and reprocess spent fuel, as well as Seoul’s push to develop nuclear-powered submarines.

Published Sep 16, 2026 9:02 am KST

Updated Sep 16, 2026 9:54 am KST

Foreign Minister Cho Hyun, left, and U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio greet each other during a trilateral foreign ministers' meeting among South Korea, the United States and Japan held on the sidelines of ASEAN-related foreign ministers' meetings in Manila, July 22. Yonhap

The top diplomats of South Korea and the United States plan to meet in Washington this week, officials said Wednesday, with Seoul's investment pledge and its role in securing the Strait of Hormuz likely topping the agenda.

Foreign Minister Cho Hyun is scheduled to visit Washington from Thursday to Saturday and hold talks with U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio on Friday (U.S. time), according to Seoul's foreign ministry.

"The two sides will discuss a wide range of issues, including South Korea-U.S. relations, the Korean Peninsula and regional and global issues," the ministry said in a release.

The meeting will be the first formal bilateral face-to-face talks between Cho and Rubio since February. The two top diplomats had a brief pull-aside conversation in Manila in July on the sidelines of ASEAN-related meetings.

During a phone call late last month, the two diplomats agreed to meet in person "in the near future" and continue close communication and cooperation on key issues, including economic cooperation, North Korean nuclear issues and the Middle East crisis.

The upcoming meeting comes as South Korea is expected to unveil its first U.S.-bound investment project as early as this week under a joint fact sheet adopted after last year's summit between President Lee Jae Myung and U.S. President Donald Trump.

The summit agreement covers South Korea's US$350 billion investment commitment in the U.S. in return for lower U.S. tariff rates, as well as other security arrangements.

Industry Minister Kim Jung-kwan met with U.S. Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick and other officials in New York last week to finalize details, and said Sunday that Seoul seeks to announce the deal this week. Potential projects include a large-scale gas-fired power plant in Texas and nuclear power plants.

Under the summit agreement, the two countries are also discussing revisions to the Korea-U.S. nuclear energy agreement, known as the 123 Agreement, to allow South Korea to enrich uranium and reprocess spent fuel. They are also discussing Seoul's push to develop nuclear-powered submarines.

Another issue that could come up is South Korea's possible role in securing the Strait of Hormuz amid U.S. pressure on Seoul to contribute to efforts to restore freedom of navigation through the strategic waterway.

Seoul has been deliberating on whether to deploy military assets to the region. Cho told his Iranian counterpart last week that no decision had been made on a possible deployment.

The two sides are also expected to discuss North Korean issues, as Trump has expressed interest in reengaging with North Korean leader Kim Jong-un this year.

"The two countries have a range of pending economic and security issues, and the two ministers have shared the need to meet in person to discuss and coordinate on them," a ministry official said.

韩国和美国本周将在华盛顿举行外长会谈，首尔的投资承诺和霍尔木兹海峡问题预计将是重要议题。韩国外长赵显铉将于周五与美国国务卿马可·卢比奥会晤，这将是自今年2月以来双方首次正式的双边面对面会谈。预计双方还将讨论朝鲜问题、核合作以及中东局势等议题。

赵显铉计划于周四至周六访问华盛顿，并于周五（美国时间）会见马可·卢比奥。

这将是赵和鲁比奥自2月份以来首次正式的双边面对面会谈。

此次会谈正值首尔预计将于本周公布其首个面向美国的投资项目之际，该项目是根据去年李在明和唐纳德·特朗普峰会相关的联合情况说明书推出的。

峰会协议包括韩国承诺向美国投资3500亿美元，以换取美国降低关税。

两国正在讨论对《123协定》进行修订，以允许韩国浓缩铀和处理乏燃料，以及首尔推动发展核动力潜艇的计划。

发布于2026年9月16日上午9:02（韩国标准时间）

更新于2026年9月16日上午9:54（韩国标准时间）

7月22日，在马尼拉举行的东盟相关外长会议期间，韩国、美国和日本三国外长举行会晤，韩国外长赵显铉（左）与美国国务卿马可·卢比奥互相问候。（韩联社）

官员们周三表示，韩国和美国的最高外交官计划本周在华盛顿会面，首尔的投资承诺及其在确保霍尔木兹海峡安全方面的作用可能是首要议题。

据首尔外交部消息，韩国外交部长赵显铉将于周四至周六访问华盛顿，并于周五（美国时间）与美国国务卿马可·卢比奥举行会谈。

韩国外交部在一份声明中表示：“双方将讨论广泛的议题，包括韩美关系、朝鲜半岛以及地区和全球问题。”

这将是赵立坚和卢比奥自2月以来首次正式的双边面对面会谈。这两位高级外交官曾在7月于马尼拉举行的东盟相关会议间隙进行过短暂的私下会谈。

上个月底的一次电话通话中，两位外交官同意“在不久的将来”见面，并继续就关键问题保持密切沟通与合作，包括经济合作、朝鲜核问题和中东危机。

即将举行的会议正值韩国预计最早于本周公布其首个对美投资项目之际。该项目是根据韩国总统李在明和美国总统唐纳德·特朗普去年峰会后通过的联合情况说明书制定的。

峰会协议涵盖韩国承诺在美国投资 3500 亿美元，以换取美国降低关税，以及其他安全安排。

韩国产业通商资源部长官金正宽上周在纽约会见了美国商务部长霍华德·卢特尼克及其他官员，敲定了相关细节。他于周日表示，首尔方面希望在本周宣布这项协议。潜在项目包括在德克萨斯州建设一座大型燃气发电厂和核电站。

根据峰会协议，两国还将讨论修订韩美核能协议（即《123协议》），以允许韩国进行铀浓缩和乏燃料后处理。双方还将讨论首尔推进核动力潜艇研发的计划。

另一个可能出现的问题是，在美国向首尔施压，要求其为恢复霍尔木兹海峡的航行自由做出贡献之际，韩国在确保该战略水道安全方面可能扮演的角色。

首尔方面一直在考虑是否向该地区部署军事力量。赵立坚上周告诉伊朗外长，尚未就可能的部署做出任何决定。

双方预计还将讨论朝鲜问题，因为特朗普曾表示有兴趣在今年与朝鲜领导人金正恩重新接触。

一位部委官员表示：“两国存在一系列悬而未决的经济和安全问题，两位部长都表示有必要会面讨论和协调这些问题。”