▲ Foreign Minister Cho Hyun (R) poses with Allison Hooker, U.S. undersecretary of state for political affairs, during their meeting on the sidelines of the Group of Seven foreign ministers' meeting in Paris, France, on March 26, 2026, in this photo provided by the foreign ministry in Seoul. (PHOTO NOT FOR SALE) (Yonhap)

FM-Rubio-G7 meeting

FM Cho, Rubio meet briefly on sidelines of G7 meeting

By Kim Seung-yeon

SEOUL, March 29 (Yonhap) -- Foreign Minister Cho Hyun met briefly with U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio in Paris, though pressing concerns like the Strait of Hormuz and summit follow-ups went largely unaddressed as time ran short, according to the foreign ministry Sunday.

Their brief encounter took place on the sidelines of the Group of Seven foreign ministers' meeting Friday (local time), where Rubio attended only the second day of the two-day gathering.

The meeting was largely an exchange of greetings rather than informal "pull-aside" talks that often occur between countries on the margins of multilateral meetings, leaving little time to discuss pending issues, the ministry said.

South Korea is considering how it can contribute to international efforts to ensure the safety and free navigation of the Strait of Hormuz, a vital waterway for global energy supplies effectively closed amid the Middle East conflict, in a way that minimizes any strain on its alliance with the United States and its relationship with Iran.

Seoul is also seeking to speed up the implementation of security agreements with Washington under their joint fact sheet produced after two summits between President Lee Jae Myung and U.S. President Donald Trump last year.

At the center of the security commitments is U.S. support for South Korea's efforts to acquire nuclear-powered submarines and secure rights to uranium enrichment and spent fuel reprocessing capabilities for peaceful use.

Cho discussed those issues with Allison Hooker, U.S. under secretary of state for political affairs, during their meeting at the same venue in Paris earlier this week.

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