Seoul: U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio's anticipated visit to South Korea is unlikely to occur soon due to circumstances within the United States, the presidential office announced on Thursday. South Korea and the United States had been in discussions to arrange a visit by the top U.S. diplomat next week. Rubio was reportedly planning to stop in South Korea and Japan before heading to Malaysia for a ministerial meeting involving Southeast Asian nations.
According to Yonhap News Agency, a presidential official stated, "South Korea and the U.S. had been discussing the possibility of Secretary Rubio visiting Korea, but due to internal circumstances in the U.S., a visit in the near future appears difficult." Despite this setback, the two sides will continue consultations on high-level exchanges. Rubio's visit would have marked the first trip to South Korea by a senior U.S. official from the Donald Trump administration since the launch of the Lee Jae Myung government in June. Lee assumed office following the impeachment and removal of former President Yoon Suk Yeol over his failed attempt to impose martial law.
The visit's cancellation comes amid speculation that the allies are preparing for a potential bilateral summit between Lee and Trump, possibly as early as later this month. The scrapped trip is seen as a setback for Seoul, which faces a range of alliance and other bilateral issues to discuss with Washington, from U.S. tariff negotiations and South Korea's defense spending to North Korea's military threats and its expanding military ties with Russia.
Rubio, who also serves as the top U.S. national security adviser, had been expected to hold talks with South Korea's national security director, Wi Sung-lac, in Seoul. Meanwhile, South Korea has yet to formally appoint a new foreign minister, with the nominee still awaiting a parliamentary confirmation hearing.