Seoul: A planned meeting among the top diplomats of South Korea, the United States, and Japan was canceled Wednesday, largely due to scheduling matters, Seoul's foreign ministry said. Foreign Minister Cho Hyun was scheduled to engage in trilateral discussions with U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio and Japanese Foreign Minister Toshimitsu Motegi on the sidelines of the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) gathering, following summit talks between President Lee Jae Myung and U.S. President Donald Trump.
According to Yonhap News Agency, this meeting would have been the first since the new Japanese cabinet, led by Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi, was elected last week. However, the meeting was canceled due to a delay in the Lee-Trump talks and subsequent scheduling issues. Trump's arrival in Korea for the APEC events was delayed by about an hour from the original schedule.
The trilateral discussions were intended to reaffirm the countries' commitment to advancing their cooperation and to address shared concerns, including issues related to North Korea. The cancellation underscores the challenges in coordinating diplomatic engagements among the three nations during international events.