▲ Foreign Minister Cho Hyun attends the U.S.-inaugurated Critical Minerals Ministerial meeting on Feb. 4, 2026 (U.S. time), in Washington in this photo provided by the foreign ministry. (PHOTO NOT FOR SALE) (Yonhap)

FM-critical minerals talks

FM Cho attends U.S.-led multilateral ministerial meeting on critical minerals

SEOUL, Feb. 5 (Yonhap) -- Foreign Minister Cho Hyun has attended a U.S.-led multilateral meeting on critical minerals in Washington to discuss cooperation with partner countries to ensure stable and diversified supply channels, his ministry said Thursday.

South Korea was among the 56 countries that took part in the U.S.-inaugurated Critical Minerals Ministerial meeting held Wednesday (U.S. time), including the Group of Seven nations and countries involved in mining, refining and manufacturing, according to the foreign ministry.

U.S. participants included U.S. Vice President JD Vance, Secretary of State Marco Rubio, U.S. Trade Representative Jamieson Greer, Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent, and Energy Secretary Chris Wright, who highlighted Washington's efforts to diversify supply channels for critical minerals.

Participating countries shared the need for cooperation among trusted partners as well as accelerating multilateral collaboration at a time of shifting supply channels and expanding geopolitical uncertainties, the foreign ministry said.

With the launch of the ministerial meeting, the Minerals Security Partnership, the existing U.S.-led initiative for secure critical minerals supply channels, has been relaunched under a new name, the FORGE initiative, with South Korea named as its chair.

During the meeting, Cho welcomed the FORGE initiative's launch and pledged efforts to expand cooperation among member countries and seek tangible cooperative projects, the ministry said.

On the sidelines, Cho also held separate talks with Greer, as well as with foreign ministers from Canada, India, Israel, Kazakhstan, Mexico, Mongolia and the Netherlands.

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