Diplomatic Trio: South Korea, Japan, and the U.S. Tackle Regional Tensions

South Korea's Foreign Minister Cho Hyun met with Japan's Foreign Minister Takeshi Iwaya in Tokyo on Tuesday. The two nations expressed unease over North Korea's increasing military cooperation with Russia and pledged to work closely with the United States to maintain regional stability, according to Japan's foreign ministry.

In their inaugural meeting, following Cho's recent appointment, the ministers confirmed the commitment of Japan and South Korea, along with the U.S., to face shared challenges. North Korea's military presence in Russia's Kursk and its supply of munitions to Russia were central topics of concern, as were its cryptocurrency thefts funding nuclear programs.

Minister Cho is set to meet with U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio on July 31 to finalize trade negotiations aimed at mitigating the impact of upcoming U.S. tariffs on South Korean imports, emphasizing the need to fortify alliances with both Japan and the U.S.

(With inputs from agencies.)