South Korean Foreign Minister Cho Tae-yul (L), and his U.S. and Japanese counterparts, Marco Rubio (C) and Takeshi Iwaya, respectively, pose for photos as they meet for trilateral talks in Brussels on April 3, 2025. ( Image courtesy of Yonhap)
BRUSSELS, April 3 (Korea Bizwire) — The top diplomats of South Korea, the United States and Japan met for talks in Brussels on Thursday, a day after U.S. President Donald Trump announced sweeping global tariffs.
The talks between Foreign Minister Cho Tae-yul, and his U.S. and Japanese counterparts, Marco Rubio and Takeshi Iwaya, respectively, took place on the margins of a foreign ministerial meeting of members of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) and its partner countries.
It marked their second trilateral meeting since Trump took office in January, following their previous talks in Munich in February.
During the talks, Cho and Iwaya are expected to raise concerns over the recently announced U.S. tariffs.
On Wednesday, Trump announced plans to impose a minimum 10 percent “baseline” tariff on all imports to the U.S. and “reciprocal” tariffs, including 26 percent duties for South Korea and 24 percent for Japan.
The three sides are said to be working on a joint statement, which is expected to voice concerns over military cooperation between North Korea and Russia over the war in Ukraine.
The statement is expected to include a message regarding China, given that the Trump administration considers the trilateral cooperation as a framework to not only deter North Korean threats but also counter Beijing’s influence.
Later in the day, Cho is set to take part in a session of NATO members and its Indo-Pacific partners, and discuss global security challenges and the security situation in the region.
The four Indo-Pacific Partners — South Korea, Japan, Australia and New Zealand — have been invited to this year’s meeting for the fourth consecutive year.
(Yonhap)
