▲ South Korean Foreign Minister Cho Hyun (L) shakes hands with U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio before their talks at the State Department in Washington on Sept. 18, 2026 in this photo released by the foreign ministry. (PHOTO NOT FOR SALE) (Yonhap)

By Song Sang-ho

WASHINGTON, Sept. 18 (Yonhap) -- The top diplomats of South Korea and the United States agreed to work together for "good" results from bilateral talks on the Asian country's investment projects in the U.S. during their meeting in Washington on Friday, the foreign ministry said.

Foreign Minister Cho Hyun and U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio met at the State Department as the two countries have been in talks over the investment projects as part of efforts to implement last year's bilateral trade deal under which Seoul committed to investing US$350 billion in the U.S.

Seoul and Washington were initially expected to announce Korea's first investment project on Friday (Korea time). But the announcement has reportedly been postponed until next week after a related briefing to the National Assembly was delayed.

"The minister and secretary agreed to make joint efforts to ensure that ongoing consultations related to strategic investment projects in the U.S. will yield good results, and to continue communication for the faithful implementation of both leaders' key agreements, including the Joint Fact Sheet (JFS)," the ministry said.

The ministry was referring to the fact sheet that Seoul and Washington released in November to outline security, trade and other agreements from last year's summits between South Korean President Lee Jae Myung and U.S. President Donald Trump.

During the talks, Cho explained to Rubio Seoul's will to contribute "substantively" to the efforts to restore freedom of navigation through the Strait of Hormuz, and called on the secretary to continue close communication on the matter.

The two sides also reaffirmed their "solid" commitment to the bilateral alliance, and agreed to continue efforts to achieve the denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula and peace and stability on the peninsula through dialogue and diplomacy, according to the ministry.

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