1. Minister of Foreign Affairs Cho Tae-yul had his first telephone conversation with United States Secretary of State Antony J. Blinken on the evening of January 11 to share greetings. The two sides discussed the Republic of Korea-U.S. relations, ROK-U.S.-Japan cooperation and issues related to North Korea, among others.

2. Secretary Blinken offered heartfelt congratulations to Foreign Minister Cho on his inauguration and suggested that they work together for the development of the ROK-U.S. alliance through close communication.

3. Foreign Minister Cho extended appreciation to Secretary Blinken in response, spoke of his strong sense of responsibility as new Foreign Minister to further advance what we have achieved through President Yoon’s state visit to the U.S. as well as in commemoration of the 70th anniversary of the ROK-U.S. alliance last year, and voiced his hope to further deepen and develop the alliance in close partnership with Secretary Blinken.

4. Recalling that this year is a meaningful one marking the 30^th anniversary of the  the first ROK-U.S.-Japan trilateral summit, Foreign Minister Cho proposed further deepening cooperation among the three countries based on the agreements reached at the Camp David Summit. Secretary Blinken responded by conveying deep consent.

5. The Foreign Minister and the Secretary shared their assessments and concerns over the threats from  North Korea including the artillery shelling in the West Sea at the start of this year, strongly condemned North Korea’s unlawful nuclear and missile development and provocations as well as its military cooperation with Russia including the transfer of weapons, and agreed to collaborate closely at the United Nations and on other international stages.

6. The Foreign Minister and the Secretary agreed to strengthen the effectiveness of extended deterrence, including through the Nuclear Consultative Group (NCG) and the Extended Deterrence Strategy and Consultation Group (EDSCG) between the ROK and the U.S. On a related note, the two sides agreed to respond  resolutely to any provocations by North Korea in close ROK-U.S. and ROK-U.S.-Japan coordination against North Korea, to safeguard peace and stability on the Korean Peninsula, and to lead the international community to thoroughly implement obligations under UN Security Council resolutions.

7. Secretary Blinken voiced hope that Foreign Minister Cho will visit the U.S. at a mutually convenient time for in-depth consultations on ways to strengthen the ROK-U.S. alliance and ROK-U.S.-Japan cooperation.