Minister of Foreign Affairs Cho Hyun held an ROK-U.S.-Japan Foreign Ministers’ meeting with U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio and Japan’s new Minister for Foreign Affairs Motegi Toshimitsu in Gyeongju on October 29 (Wed.) on the occasion of the 2025 APEC Ministerial Meeting. The two Ministers and the Secretary discussed Korean Peninsula and regional issues as well as ways to further trilateral cooperation in the economic realm.

Minister Cho stated that he found it meaningful to hold the fifth ROK-U.S.-Japan Foreign Ministers’ meeting of the year and the first with Minister Motegi shortly after the Japanese Cabinet reshuffle. He proposed that the three countries work together to strengthen the supply chain resilience in the region and to address transnational challenges on the Korean Peninsula and in the Indo-Pacific. Secretary Rubio and Minister Motegi welcomed the ROK-U.S.-Japan Foreign Ministers’ meeting convened on the margins of the APEC Economic Leaders’ Week in Gyeongju and agreed to continue to strengthen cooperation among the three countries to promote peace, stability and prosperity in the region.

Furthermore, the Ministers and the Secretary agreed to remain closely aligned on DPRK issues while upholding the shared principle of the denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula, and to continue efforts for peace and stability on the Peninsula through dialogue and diplomacy. They also agreed to continue to communicate frequently, including on the margins of multilateral meetings.