What will Cho Hyun discuss with Marco Rubio during his U.S. visit?

Cho said he would raise the U.S. visa issue involving Democratic Party of Korea lawmaker Jung Chung-rae, as well as other bilateral matters. He is also seeking meetings with counterparts from other major countries on pending global and regional issues during the G20 gathering.

Why did Jung Chung-rae switch from the Americas audit team to the Europe team?

Jung’s U.S. visa application was still under review by the U.S. State Department, and no decision had been issued before his planned departure. He switched teams so he could take part in a parliamentary audit rather than risk being unable to participate.

How did Cho Hyun respond to concerns that South Korea-U.S. relations are strained?

Cho called claims that the alliance was fractured “utterly absurd” and said the countries could have differences while their relationship remained fundamentally sound. He described the relationship as experiencing “turbulence,” using an airplane seat-belt analogy that he said Michelle Steel agreed with.

FM Cho says to meet Rubio this week, raise DPK lawmaker's visa delay

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Summary

Foreign Minister Cho Hyun said Tuesday he plans to meet U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio during a five-day visit to Atlanta starting Thursday and raise Rep. Jung Chung-rae’s visa delay. Jung’s U.S. visa application remained under review before his planned trip for a parliamentary audit, leading him to join the Europe audit team instead. Cho rejected claims that the alliance was fractured, saying the two countries could have differences while maintaining a fundamentally sound relationship. He said he had raised the visa issue with the acting U.S. ambassador on Oct. 8.

Key Facts

Cho is traveling to attend a Group of 20 foreign ministers’ meeting hosted by Rubio, and he is seeking bilateral meetings with counterparts from other major countries on global and regional issues.
Jung had been scheduled to join an audit of South Korean diplomatic missions in the Americas earlier this month, but his visa application had not received a decision before his planned departure.
Cho said he discussed “turbulence” with U.S. Ambassador to South Korea Michelle Steel over breakfast on Monday, and that she agreed with his airplane-and-seat-belt analogy.
The article cites differences over implementation of an agreement reached at the countries’ summit last October, intelligence sharing on North Korea and Seoul’s push to retake wartime operational control from Washington.
Responding to criticism of “humiliating diplomacy,” Cho said the government had pursued pragmatic diplomacy with confidence amid international political realities.

By Yonhap

Published Oct 27, 2026 12:54 pm KST
Updated Oct 27, 2026 3:10 pm KST

Foreign Minister Cho Hyun speaks during a parliamentary audit of the foreign and unification ministries in Seoul, Tuesday. Yonhap

Foreign Minister Cho Hyun said Tuesday he plans to meet with U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio during his visit to the United States this week, with the two sides expected to discuss a visa issue involving a ruling party lawmaker, as well as other bilateral matters.

Cho made the remarks during a parliamentary audit of the foreign and unification ministries, responding to Rep. Hong Kee-won of the ruling Democratic Party of Korea (DPK) who urged the government to formally convey its concerns to Washington over the U.S. visa issue involving Rep. Jung Chung-rae.

"I am scheduled to visit the U.S. the day after tomorrow and meet with Secretary Rubio. I will raise the issue then as well," Cho said.

Cho is scheduled to make a five-day visit to Atlanta starting Thursday to attend a Group of 20 (G20) foreign ministers' meeting hosted by Rubio. The foreign ministry has said Cho is also seeking bilateral meetings with counterparts from other major countries to discuss pending global and regional issues on the sidelines of the gathering.

Jung had been scheduled to join a parliamentary audit of South Korean diplomatic missions in the Americas earlier this month. But his U.S. visa application remained under review by the U.S. State Department, with no decision issued before his planned departure, prompting him to switch to the committee's Europe audit team.

The case has drawn criticism and concerns that it could be seen as another sign of strain in South Korea-U.S. relations, which have faced differences over economy and security issues.

"I had also raised concerns about the matter with the acting U.S. ambassador to South Korea on Oct. 8," Cho noted.

Cho, however, dismissed criticism that the Seoul-Washington alliance faces fraction as "utterly absurd," saying the two countries could have differences while maintaining a fundamentally sound relationship.

"I had breakfast with U.S. Ambassador to South Korea Michelle Steel just yesterday and brought up the word 'turbulence,'" Cho said. "I told her that when an airplane passes through turbulence, there is no problem as long as you fasten your seat belt tightly, and she agreed with me."

Steel described bilateral ties as being in a state of "turbulence" during a dialogue session hosted by the American Chamber of Commerce in Korea (AMCHAM) last week. She also said an alliance "can be weaker," and that Seoul and Washington "can move forward to be stronger. That is exactly what we are working on."

Seoul and Washington have faced friction over economic and security issues, including the implementation of an agreement reached at their summit last October, intelligence sharing on North Korea and Seoul's push to retake wartime operational control (OPCON) from Washington.

Responding to lawmakers' criticism of what they described as "humiliating diplomacy," Cho said, "Amid the serious realities of international politics, we have pursued pragmatic diplomacy, seeking to conduct diplomacy with confidence."

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