Rubio scraps plan for 1st trip to Korea in early July: Seoul
Rubio, who serves both as US Secretary of State and acting White House National Security Advisor, had originally planned to travel to South Korea in the second week of July, prior to the ASEAN-related foreign ministers' meetings set for July 10–11 in Malaysia.
Rubio had planned to travel to South Korea after a stop in Japan, according to diplomatic sources in Seoul.
'Korea and the United States had been discussing the possibility of Secretary Rubio visiting Seoul. However, due to internal circumstances in the US, his visit to Korea appears unlikely to take place for the foreseeable future,' the presidential office said. 'Korea and the US plan to continue consultations on exchanges of high-level officials.'
A Foreign Ministry official said on condition of anonymity that the South Korean and US sides have "sufficient communications" over the rationale behind the cancellation of Rubio's trip to Seoul.
The US asked the South Korean government for its understanding, explaining that Rubio's visit would be difficult to carry out due to pressing developments in the Middle East, The Korea Herald learned.
The decision appears to have been influenced by a planned meeting between US President Donald Trump and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu at the White House on July 7, where the two leaders are expected to discuss a potential ceasefire between Israel and Hamas in Gaza, as well as other regional issues.
The Korea Herald learned that Seoul views it as unfeasible for Rubio to visit Seoul after the ASEAN-related foreign ministers' meetings.
Had his first visit to Seoul proceeded, Rubio was expected to engage in discussions related to a prospective South Korea–US summit, which Seoul is aiming to hold from late July to early August in the US.
Given that confirmation hearings for Foreign Minister nominee Cho Hyun have not yet been completed, Rubio was expected to meet with South Korean National Security Adviser Wi Sung-lac, whom he previously met on the sidelines of the NATO summit in The Hague on June 25.
Due to the confirmation process, South Korea will dispatch First Vice Foreign Minister Park Yoon-joo to the ASEAN-related foreign ministers' meetings, including the ASEAN Plus Three Foreign Ministers' Meeting and the East Asia Summit Foreign Ministers' Meeting. This marks the first time that a South Korean foreign minister will have skipped such events.
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