Minister of Foreign Affairs Cho Hyun (left) on Feb. 3 shakes hands with U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio at the Department of State in Washington. (Ministry of Foreign Affairs)

By Xu Aiying

Minister of Foreign Affairs Cho Hyun on Feb. 3 spoke to U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio in Washington on major issues of common interest like the implementation of a joint fact sheet on bilateral trade and security agreements and North Korea.

The Ministry of Foreign Affairs said Minister Cho urged his American counterpart to play a leading role so that bilateral cooperation in key sectors including nuclear power, nuclear-powered submarines and shipbuilding can produce results under specific targets set for this year.

Secretary Rubio pledged to continue playing a necessary role and encourage related agencies to hold substantive negotiations more swiftly.

Minister Cho also explained his government's efforts to carry out a bilateral tariff agreement and urged continued cooperation at the ministerial level for smooth communication and consultation between trade authorities.

Turning to North Korea, both diplomats agreed to maintain close communication and collaboration on the issue.

Minister Cho described his side's efforts to ease tension and build inter-Korean trust, adding that Seoul and Washington should send messages for dialogue to Pyeongyang to encourage the latter's resumption of talks.

He also conveyed Seoul's efforts to develop friendly and cooperative ties with neighboring countries like visits to China and Japan early this year for summits based on the strong foundation of the Republic of Korea-U.S. alliance.

xuaiy@korea.kr