▲ In this file photo, South Korean Foreign Minister Cho Hyun (L), U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio (C) and Japanese Foreign Minister Toshimitsu Motegi pose for a photo in Manila on July 22, 2026, as they hold a trilateral meeting on the sidelines of meetings related to the Association of Southeast Asian Nations. (Yonhap)
▲ This Reuters file photo, released on Aug. 31, 2026, shows vessels near the Strait of Hormuz, as seen from Musandam, Oman. (Yonhap)

By Oh Seok-min

SEOUL, Sept. 21 (Yonhap) -- The top diplomats of South Korea, the United States and Japan were set to gather in New York, with trilateral economic and security cooperation, North Korea, and other regional and global issues on the agenda, officials said Monday.

Foreign Minister Cho Hyun is scheduled to meet U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio and Japanese Foreign Minister Toshimitsu Motegi on Monday (U.S. time) on the sidelines of the U.N. General Assembly in New York, according to officials of Seoul's foreign ministry.

The meeting will be the third trilateral gathering since July, following talks on the sidelines of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) summit in Turkey on July 7 and the ASEAN Regional Forum in Manila on July 22.

"Various issues, including energy cooperation, and global and regional situations, are expected to be among agenda items during Monday's meeting," an official of Seoul's foreign ministry said.

Japanese media have reported that the three countries could sign a memorandum of understanding on cooperation in the Arctic, including the use of Arctic sea routes and expanding energy supplies.

It remains unclear whether Cho will hold separate bilateral talks with Rubio or Motegi in New York.

At the meeting in Turkey, the three nations signed a memorandum of cooperation to promote the deployment of small modular reactors (SMRs) in other countries, initially focusing on the Indo-Pacific.

During the talks in Manila, the ministers reaffirmed their commitment to maintaining a robust deterrence posture against North Korea and the denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula. They also discussed maintaining peace and stability in the Taiwan Strait.

The three-way talks come after Cho and Rubio held bilateral talks in Washington on Friday, where they discussed Seoul's U.S.-bound investment commitments and other bilateral arrangements outlined in the joint fact sheet released following the October summit between President Lee Jae Myung and U.S. President Donald Trump.

Cho and Rubio also discussed South Korea's role in securing freedom of navigation in the Strait of Hormuz, while reaffirming their commitment to the complete denuclearization of North Korea and the importance of trilateral cooperation with Japan, according to the foreign ministry.

Cho is also expected to hold consultations with countries involved in the U.S.-Iran war during his stay in New York.

President Lee said last week that Seoul was considering ways to strengthen the activities of the Cheonghae Unit, which is deployed to protect South Korean vessels and nationals in the Middle East, while stressing that any potential contribution to securing the waterway would not involve military engagement in the ongoing war.

Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian and Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi are also expected to attend the U.N. General Assembly's high-level session.

"We are arranging bilateral meetings with various countries on the occasion of the U.N. session. It will provide an opportunity to discuss the Korean Peninsula, the situation in the Middle East and various bilateral relations through in-person meetings," another official said.

Lee is set to attend the upcoming U.N. General Assembly and deliver a speech on Tuesday, where he plans to outline his administration's vision for peaceful coexistence on the Korean Peninsula.

Trump and Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi are also set to attend the session, while Chinese President Xi Jinping will skip the gathering and visit Washington for talks with Trump on Thursday, according to foreign media reports.

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