The Secretary of State of the United States, Marco Rubio, has emphasized before South Korea the importance of maintaining "close coordination" between both allies, after Washington announced the reduction of its joint military exercises, justifying it by the improvement of ties with North Korea and that the war in Iran is now the strategic priority for its Armed Forces.
Rubio had a phone conversation with his South Korean counterpart, Cho Hyun, to whom he conveyed "the need for both countries to maintain close coordination on matters that are integral to the alliance," as explained by the spokesperson for the U.S. Department of State, Thomas Pigott, in a brief statement released after the contact.
After the call, the South Korean Ministry of Foreign Affairs noted that both officials "exchanged views on the relations between South Korea and the United States, the issue of the Korean Peninsula, and global matters," and emphasized that "they confirmed a mutual understanding that close communication is more important than ever, given the recent turns in the international context."
In this line, Seoul highlighted that the two diplomats "agreed to pool their knowledge to further strengthen the relationship between South Korea and the United States, achieving mutually beneficial results regarding various pending issues, including tariff and investment agreements, shipbuilding, and security cooperation."
The statement from the South Korean Ministry of Foreign Affairs also added that both "agreed to maintain close communication and cooperation" with the aim of achieving "peace on the Korean Peninsula and the resolution of the North Korean nuclear issue, while also maintaining a strong combined defensive posture."
"Cho stated that the South Korean government would do everything possible to ensure that the recent message from President (U.S., Donald) Trump leads to the resumption of dialogue between North Korea and the United States and to peace on the Korean Peninsula," detailed the note, which also indicated that both "agreed to meet in person in the near future," without providing a specific timeline.
The conversation took place a few hours after the United States suspended joint amphibious military exercises with Seoul, following an agreement between the two governments to reduce this type of exercise at Trump's initiative, who claimed to have ordered the Pentagon to decrease "substantially" these activities, appealing to the "very good relationship" he maintains with North Korean leader, Kim Jong Un.