FM Cho meets US lawmakers to discuss alliance, regional security

Foreign Minister Cho Hyun met U.S. lawmakers in Washington on Thursday and discussed bilateral relations, the Korean Peninsula and global security. He urged active U.S. congressional support for swift implementation of the Joint Fact Sheet. Cho also said Seoul would keep strengthening the alliance through communication with the U.S. administration and Congress.

Cho was in Washington for a three-day trip from Thursday and met separately with Sen. Bill Hagerty, Rep. Jim Jordan and Rep. Gregory Meeks.

The Joint Fact Sheet was released in November after the summit between President Lee Jae Myung and U.S. President Donald Trump.

The fact sheet includes South Korea's pledge to invest $350 billion in the United States in exchange for a reduced U.S. tariff rate, along with cooperation in the nuclear sector and other security-related issues.

Published Sep 18, 2026 12:17 pm KST

Foreign Minister Cho Hyun, front right, listens to U.S. Republican Sen. Bill Hagerty of Tennessee during their meeting in Washington, Sept. 17. Courtesy of the foreign ministry

Foreign Minister Cho Hyun has met with U.S. lawmakers in Washington and discussed bilateral relations and issues related to the Korean Peninsula and global security, the foreign ministry said Friday.

Cho, who is in Washington for a three-day trip from Thursday, met separately with Sen. Bill Hagerty (R-TN), Rep. Jim Jordan (R-OH), chairman of the House Judiciary Committee, and Rep. Gregory Meeks (D-NY) on Thursday, according to the ministry.

Cho told the lawmakers that the importance of close cooperation between Seoul and Washington has grown amid rapidly changing international circumstances, calling for active support from the U.S. Congress to ensure the swift implementation of the Joint Fact Sheet (JFS).

The JFS, released in November following the summit between President Lee Jae Myung and U.S. President Donald Trump, outlines a range of commitments by both sides, including Seoul's pledge to invest $350 billion in the United States in exchange for a reduced U.S. tariff rate, as well as cooperation in the nuclear sector and other security-related issues.

Hagerty praised Seoul's efforts to strengthen trilateral cooperation with Washington and Tokyo and pledged continued support for the alliance, including Korean companies operating in Tennessee.

Jordan stressed the need to manage bilateral issues based on mutual trust and continue efforts to strengthen the alliance.

Meeks called for closer Seoul-Washington coordination on peace and security issues and said the U.S. Congress would continue to support bilateral cooperation based on bipartisan backing for the alliance, according to the ministry.

Cho said Seoul would continue to strengthen the alliance through active communication with both the U.S. administration and Congress. He also called on lawmakers to maintain their support for the alliance following the November midterm elections, the ministry said.

Cho is scheduled to meet with U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio in Washington on Friday before holding a series of meetings with think tank experts and other officials through Saturday.

韩国外长赵显铉周四在华盛顿会见了美国国会议员，双方讨论了双边关系、朝鲜半岛局势和全球安全问题。他敦促美国国会积极支持尽快落实《联合情况说明书》。赵显铉还表示，首尔将继续通过与美国政府和国会的沟通，加强韩美同盟关系。

赵承熙从周四开始在华盛顿进行为期三天的访问，并分别会见了参议员比尔·哈格蒂、众议员吉姆·乔丹和众议员格雷戈里·米克斯。

这份联合情况说明书是在李在明总统和美国总统唐纳德·特朗普举行峰会后于11月发布的。

该情况说明书包括韩国承诺向美国投资 3500 亿美元，以换取美国降低关税，以及在核能领域和其他安全相关问题上的合作。

发布于2026年9月18日下午12:17（韩国标准时间）

9月17日，韩国外交部长赵显铉（前排右）在华盛顿会见美国田纳西州共和党参议员比尔·哈格蒂时聆听其发言。图片由韩国外交部提供。

韩国外交部周五表示，韩国外长赵显在华盛顿会见了美国国会议员，讨论了双边关系以及与朝鲜半岛和全球安全相关的问题。

据外交部消息，赵显龙从周四开始在华盛顿进行为期三天的访问，周四他分别会见了田纳西州共和党参议员比尔·哈格蒂、俄亥俄州共和党众议员、众议院司法委员会主席吉姆·乔丹以及纽约州民主党众议员格雷戈里·米克斯。

赵向议员们表示，在国际形势快速变化的背景下，首尔和华盛顿之间密切合​​作的重要性日益凸显，他呼吁美国国会积极支持，以确保《联合情况说明书》（JFS）的迅速实施。

11月，在李在明总统和美国总统唐纳德·特朗普举行峰会后发布的《联合外交与安全政策声明》（JFS）概述了双方的一系列承诺，包括首尔承诺向美国投资3500亿美元以换取美国降低关税，以及在核能领域和其他安全相关问题上的合作。

Hagerty 赞扬了首尔为加强与华盛顿和东京的三边合作所做的努力，并承诺将继续支持该联盟，包括在田纳西州运营的韩国公司。

约旦强调，需要基于互信处理双边问题，并继续努力加强联盟。

据韩国国防部消息，米克斯呼吁首尔和华盛顿在和平与安全问题上加强协调，并表示美国国会将继续支持基于两党对联盟支持的双边合作。

韩国国防部表示，赵显龙表示，首尔将继续通过与美国政府和国会的积极沟通来加强同盟关系。他还呼吁国会议员在11月中期选举后继续支持同盟关系。

赵承熙计划于周五在华盛顿会见美国国务卿马可·卢比奥，之后将与智库专家和其他官员举行一系列会议，直至周六。