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South Korean Foreign Minister Cho Hyun met his Japanese counterpart, Toshimitsu Motegi, in Ankara, Turkey, on the sidelines of the NATO summit, where they discussed ways to bolster bilateral relations and trilateral cooperation involving the United States, according to Seoul's foreign ministry.

The meeting, held Tuesday local time, followed a three-way session of the top diplomats of South Korea, the United States, and Japan, the ministry said.

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Yonhap News Agency reported that Cho and Motegi pledged to deepen bilateral ties and expand cooperation between their countries. The two also pointed to "shuttle diplomacy" between their leaders as a driving force behind collaboration across multiple sectors and agreed to build on that momentum so that citizens of both countries feel the benefits more directly.

The bilateral meeting took place on the sidelines of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) summit, which runs Tuesday and Wednesday in Turkey. Cho is accompanying South Korean President Lee Jae Myung, who is attending the summit at the invitation of NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte.

In a separate report, Yonhap noted that the trilateral talks were the first since the three top diplomats last met on the sidelines of the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) summit in Gyeongju, South Korea, in October last year.

Yonhap also reported that Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi is expected to skip this year's NATO summit, meaning a three-way summit among Lee, U.S. President Donald Trump, and Takaichi is not expected to take place. The ministerial meeting was therefore seen as an opportunity to reaffirm the momentum of trilateral cooperation, according to officials.

The trilateral meeting comes amid mounting geopolitical challenges, including the Middle East crisis, Russia's war with Ukraine, and disruptions of global supply chains. Yonhap also noted that North Korea, China, and Russia have been deepening diplomatic, economic, and security cooperation in recent years.

Key Claims

  • Foreign Minister Cho Hyun met with Japanese counterpart Toshimitsu Motegi in Ankara, Turkey, on the sidelines of the NATO summit, and the two discussed bolstering bilateral ties and trilateral cooperation with the United States.
  • Cho and Motegi pledged to deepen bilateral ties and expand cooperation between their countries.
  • A trilateral meeting among Cho, U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio, and Motegi reaffirmed their commitment to denuclearizing the Korean Peninsula and pursuing continued dialogue with North Korea.
  • The three nations signed a memorandum of understanding for accelerating cooperation on small modular reactor deployments in countries in the Indo-Pacific.
  • Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi is expected to skip the NATO summit.