Seoul faces tough Hormuz calculus ahead of Cho-Rubio talks

Foreign Minister Cho Hyun is visiting Washington from Thursday to Saturday for talks with U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio, with Hormuz troop deployment, a possible Lee-Trump sideline summit and bilateral issues on the agenda. The meeting comes as Seoul faces rising domestic opposition to any military commitment in the Middle East. It will be the first formal bilateral session since February.

The Ministry of Foreign Affairs said the Friday meeting will cover bilateral relations, the Korean Peninsula and regional and global issues.

The February meeting centered on implementing a joint fact sheet under which Korea agreed to invest $350 billion in the United States and Washington allowed Seoul to develop nuclear-powered submarines.

A Gallup Korea survey found 55 percent opposed sending troops to the Strait of Hormuz, while 32 percent supported it.

A separate National Barometer Survey found 45 percent opposed troop deployment and 36 percent favored it.

Published Sep 16, 2026 4:48 pm KST

Lee-Trump summit, US investment deals expected to top FM talks

Foreign Minister Cho Hyun, left, poses with U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio ahead of their talks held on the sidelines of a series of ministerial meetings related to the Association of Southeast Asian Nations in Manila, July 22. Yonhap

Foreign Minister Cho Hyun is visiting Washington from Thursday to Saturday for talks with U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio, with the agenda spanning the potential Hormuz troop deployment, President Lee Jae Myung's possible sideline summit with U.S. President Donald Trump at the U.N. General Assembly and a range of unresolved bilateral issues — all against a backdrop of rising domestic opposition to any military commitment in the Middle East.

“Cho will hold a South Korea-U.S. Foreign Ministers' meeting on Friday to discuss a wide range of topics, including bilateral relations, issues on the Korean Peninsula and regional and global matters,” the Ministry of Foreign Affairs said in a statement on Wednesday.

The upcoming meeting will be their first formal bilateral session since February, when the two officials focused mainly on implementing the joint fact sheet under which Korea agreed to invest $350 billion in the U.S. and Washington permitted Seoul to develop nuclear-powered submarines. The two held a brief pull-aside in Manila in July.

The session is expected to cover follow-up measures on bilateral economic and security agreements, including Korea's investment commitment and Washington's calls for Seoul to contribute to securing freedom of navigation in the Strait of Hormuz. Details of the investment plan remain under negotiation, with Seoul this week postponing a planned parliamentary briefing on the issue.

The Hormuz issue has become particularly sensitive for the Lee administration as public opposition to a deployment grows. Since the U.S. began its war on Iran in February, the Trump administration has been stepping up pressure on Seoul to send troops to the strait and accelerate its U.S. investment commitments, increasingly linking the two as part of a broader package of demands.

A Gallup Korea survey released Friday showed 55 percent of respondents opposed sending troops to the strait, against 32 percent in support. The survey was conducted among 1,000 people aged 18 and above between Sept. 9-11. A separate National Barometer Survey of 1,002 adults conducted Monday through Wednesday found 45 percent opposed, while 36 percent favored troop deployment. Though the specific figures differ, both surveys point to roughly half or more of respondents opposing deployment.

Protesters take to the streets in front of the U.S. Embassy in Seoul, Tuesday, to oppose troop deployment to the Strait of Hormuz. The placards read "We oppose U.S. pressure on Korea to deploy troops to the Strait of Hormuz" and "Stop war of aggression." Yonhap

Experts say Cho's Washington visit will serve primarily as a coordination session ahead of a potential Lee-Trump meeting on the sidelines of the U.N. General Assembly next week, while also beginning to work through the details of any military contribution to the Hormuz mission.

“The primary talks between Cho and Rubio will likely be focusing a potential pull-aside summit between Lee and Trump during the U.N. General Assembly … Given the wide range of agendas on the table — such as the troop deployment to the Strait of Hormuz and investments in the U.S. — this meeting serves as a chance to align positions and maintain dialogue, even if no major breakthroughs can be reached,” said Min Jeong-hun, professor at the Korea National Diplomatic Academy.

Yonsei University professor Whang Taehee said the strength of domestic opposition could paradoxically work in Seoul's favor.

“Korea may package its troop deployment to the Strait of Hormuz alongside key economic and security issues. While Cho is expected to signal a positive stance, Seoul could leverage strong domestic pushback to negotiate a politically manageable deployment strategy, securing vital counter-concessions, such as firming up U.S. nuclear negotiations and gaining more favorable terms for Korean investments in the U.S.,” Whang said.

Min argued that avoiding deployment altogether remains the best outcome for Seoul, but said that if it becomes unavoidable, any contribution should be tightly scoped.

“While avoiding troop deployment is the best scenario, if it becomes inevitable, support should be confined to non-combat roles like maritime patrol aircraft and logistics,” Min said.

“This would give Trump the political narrative of a unified multinational coalition while keeping Korea's involvement as limited as possible. Also, active domestic debate and opposition must continue; demonstrating the difficulty of this compromise will strengthen Seoul's position in negotiating the deployment.”

韩国外长赵显铉将于本周四至周六访问华盛顿，与美国国务卿马可·卢比奥举行会谈，议程包括霍尔木兹海峡的驻军部署、李明博与特朗普可能举行的会晤以及其他双边议题。此次会晤正值首尔国内对任何在中东地区进行军事行动的反对声浪日益高涨之际。这将是自​​今年2月以来双方的首次正式双边会晤。

外交部表示，周五的会议将涵盖双边关系、朝鲜半岛以及地区和全球问题。

二月份的会议重点是落实一份联合情况说明书，根据该说明书，韩国同意向美国投资 3500 亿美元，而华盛顿则允许首尔开发核动力潜艇。

盖洛普韩国的一项调查发现，55%的人反对向霍尔木兹海峡派兵，而32%的人支持。

另一项全国晴雨表调查发现，45%的人反对部署​​军队，36%的人赞成部署军队。

发布于2026年9月16日下午4:48（韩国标准时间）

李明博-特朗普峰会及美国投资协议预计将成为外长会谈的重点。

7月22日，在马尼拉举行的东盟相关部长级会议期间，韩国外交部长赵显铉（左）与美国国务卿马可·卢比奥举行会谈。（韩联社）

外交部长赵显铉将于周四至周六访问华盛顿，与美国国务卿马可·卢比奥举行会谈。会谈议程涵盖霍尔木兹海峡可能的部队部署、李在明总统可能在联合国大会期间与美国总统唐纳德·特朗普举行的会外峰会，以及一系列尚未解决的双边问题——所有这一切都发生在国内对任何在中东的军事行动日益增长的反对声浪的背景下。

韩国外交部周三发表声明称：“赵外长将于周五主持召开韩美外长会议，讨论包括双边关系、朝鲜半岛问题以及地区和全球事务在内的广泛议题。”

即将举行的会晤将是自今年2月以来双方的首次正式双边会晤。当时，双方官员主要讨论了落实联合情况说明书的进展情况，根据该说明书，韩国同意向美国投资3500亿美元，而华盛顿则允许首尔发展核动力潜艇。7月，双方在马尼拉举行了一次短暂的单独会晤。

预计此次会议将讨论双边经济和安全协议的后续措施，包括韩国的投资承诺以及华盛顿呼吁首尔为维护霍尔木兹海峡航行自由做出贡献。投资计划的细节仍在谈判中，首尔本周推迟了原定就此问题举行的国会简报会。

随着公众对部署美军的反对声浪日益高涨，霍尔木兹海峡问题对李明博政府而言变得尤为敏感。自美国2月份对伊朗发动战争以来，特朗普政府不断加大对首尔的施压，要求其向霍尔木兹海峡派兵并加快履行美国对韩国的投资承诺，并将这两项要求日益捆绑在一起，作为其一揽子更广泛诉求的一部分。

盖洛普韩国周五公布的一项民调显示，55%的受访者反对向海峡派兵，32%的受访者表示支持。该调查于9月9日至11日期间进行，调查对象为1000名18岁及以上的受访者。另一项由盖洛普韩国于周一至周三进行的全国晴雨表调查则显示，45%的受访者反对派兵，36%的受访者支持派兵。尽管具体数字有所不同，但两项调查均表明，大约一半或更多的受访者反对派兵。

周二，抗议者聚集在首尔美国大使馆前，反对向霍尔木兹海峡部署军队。标语牌上写着“我们反对美国向韩国施压，要求其向霍尔木兹海峡部署军队”和“停止侵略战争”。（韩联社）

专家表示，赵承熙此次华盛顿之行的主要目的是为下周在联合国大会期间可能举行的李明博与特朗普会晤进行协调，同时也将开始商讨任何军事力量对霍尔木兹海峡任务的细节。

韩国国立外交学院教授闵正勋表示：“赵立坚和卢比奥的主要会谈很可能集中在李明博和特朗普在联合国大会期间可能举行的单独峰会上……鉴于摆在桌面上的议程范围很广——例如向霍尔木兹海峡部署军队和在美国的投资——即使不能取得重大突破，这次会晤也是一个协调立场和保持对话的机会。”

延世大学教授黄泰熙表示，国内反对派的力量反而可能对首尔有利，这听起来似乎有些矛盾。

黄表示：“韩国可能会将向霍尔木兹海峡部署军队与关键的经济和安全问题捆绑在一起。虽然预计赵显龙会释放积极信号，但首尔可能会利用国内的强烈反对，谈判达成一项政治上可行的部署策略，从而获得重要的对等让步，例如加强与美国的核谈判，以及为韩国在美投资争取更有利的条件。”

闵认为，完全避免部署仍然是首尔的最佳结果，但他表示，如果部署不可避免，任何贡献都应该受到严格限制。

“虽然避免部署部队是最好的情况，但如果不可避免，支援应该仅限于海上巡逻机和后勤等非战斗角色，”闵说。

“这将使特朗普能够构建一个统一的多国联盟的政治叙事，同时尽可能限制韩国的参与。此外，国内的积极辩论和反对必须继续下去；展现这一妥协的难度将增强首尔在部署谈判中的地位。”