By Diplomacy Journal Kayla Lee 

Minister of Foreign Affairs Cho Tae-yul held a Foreign Ministers' Meeting on Nov. 14 with U.S. Secretary of State Antony J. Blinken in Lima, Peru, where the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) Leaders' Meeting is being held, and exchanged views on U.S.-ROK relations, U.S.-Japan cooperation, North Korea, and key regional issues.
 

Minister Cho and Secretary Blinken expressed concern that Russia's illegal military cooperation with North Korea seriously threatens the security of Europe and the Indo-Pacific region, and agreed to closely coordinate responses to possible Russian military assistance to North Korea, especially as a counterweight to the deployment of North Korean troops.

In the lead-up to the summit, the two ministers praised the many achievements that South Korea, the U.S. and Japan have made in a variety of areas, including security, economics, and technology, and pledged to work together to finalize any remaining issues between the three countries.

Blinken noted that there is strong bipartisan support for the U.S.-ROK alliance in the U.S., and said that he believes that the major achievements of U.S.-ROK cooperation will be well transitioned to the next U.S. administration, and he will work closely with South Korea to ensure that this happens.

Cho expressed his commitment to the success of the Fifth Intergovernmental Negotiating Conference on the UN Plastics Convention in Busan, and urged the U.S. to continue to lead the international community's discussions on the issue, which Blinken echoed.

The meeting, which was held just two weeks after the U.S.-ROK Foreign Ministers' meeting in Washington, DC in October, was an opportunity to discuss ways to coordinate on key issues ahead of the Korea-U.S.-Japan Summit and the APEC Summit.