Gyeongju, Oct 28
South Korea, the United States and Japan will hold trilateral talks among their top diplomats during the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) gathering this week, Seoul's foreign ministry said Tuesday.
The meeting will take place in a closed-door format on Wednesday afternoon, the ministry said, without providing further details.
The meeting is likely to be held following the summit talks between President Lee Jae Myung and US President Donald Trump, diplomatic sources said, Yonhap News Agency reported.
It will mark the first three-way talks between Foreign Minister Cho Hyun and US Secretary of State Marco Rubio and Japanese Foreign Minister Toshimitsu Motegi, since the launch of the new Japanese cabinet led by Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi, who was elected as leader last week.
The meeting is expected to offer an opportunity for the three countries to reaffirm their commitment to continuing efforts to enhance their trilateral partnership.
Questions have arisen over whether the trilateral cooperation would continue since Trump began his second term with a drive for the "America First" policy and aggressive tariffs on the US' two key Asian allies and others.
The outlook for relations between South Korean and Japan has become uncertain with the election of the first female leader, who is known for her hardline stance on issues stemming from Japan's colonial rule of the Korean Peninsula.
A trilateral meeting among Lee, Trump and Takaichi is unlikely to happen this time, according to the sources.
Meanwhile, South Korean President Lee Jae Myung arrived in Gyeongju, the host city for the APEC summit, on Tuesday, ahead of high-stakes talks with US President Donald Trump.
Lee arrived in the city in the afternoon in his capacity as APEC chair, with no official public schedule planned for the rest of the day, the presidential office said in a press notice.
Lee is set to hold summit talks with Trump on Wednesday, after delivering a speech at the opening ceremony of the APEC CEO Summit earlier that day.
The stakes are high for Lee's meeting with Trump, as Seoul and Washington engage in intense negotiations to narrow gaps over South Korea's USD 350 billion investment pledge, aimed at finalizing a trade deal that would reduce US tariffs on Korean goods.
Whether the two sides can clinch an agreement in time for the summit remains uncertain as negotiations continue over key sticking points, including the financing of the investment package.
Wednesday's summit will mark Lee and Trump's second in-person meeting following their first talks in August at the White House.
The main APEC Economic Leaders' Meeting will take place Friday and Saturday.
- IANS
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