South Korea vows to turn Trump overtures into North Korea talks

Heesu Lee, Bloomberg News on Aug 24, 2026

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South Korea and the U.S. agreed to maintain close coordination on efforts to revive dialogue with North Korea, days after Pyongyang rebuffed President Donald Trump’s overtures and launched a barrage of short-range ballistic missiles.

South Korean Foreign Minister Cho Hyun told U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio in a phone call late Monday that Seoul would work to ensure that Trump’s recent messages lead to renewed U.S.-North Korea discussions and peace on the Korean Peninsula, Seoul’s Foreign Ministry said in a statement Tuesday.

The two officials agreed to maintain a strong combined defense posture, while working closely to ease tensions and resolve the North Korean nuclear issue. They also discussed mutually beneficial outcomes on issues including tariffs, the bilateral investment agreement and shipbuilding.

The call also came as Trump seeks to revive diplomacy with North Korean leader Kim Jong Un. The president said he expects to meet Kim this year. Kim’s sister Kim Yo Jong has dismissed Trump’s overtures and denied there’s been direct communication between the two leaders.

Trump has sought to preserve momentum for diplomacy by scaling back some joint military exercises with South Korea. President Lee Jae Myung has welcomed the move, though North Korea has continued to criticize Seoul as subordinate to Washington and has rejected the drills as a provocation.

Rubio also briefed Cho on developments in the Middle East, including Iran, and U.S. efforts to restore regional peace and stability, according to the ministry. Cho expressed Seoul’s willingness to make a “practical contribution” toward restoring freedom of navigation through the Strait of Hormuz, and the two sides agreed to continue discussing specific measures.

Cho and Rubio also agreed to meet in person in the near future, the ministry said.

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