South Korea’s new Foreign Minister Cho Hyun will travel to Japan and the United States this week for his first official bilateral meetings since taking office, Seoul’s foreign ministry confirmed on Monday.

Cho will arrive in Tokyo on Tuesday for a two-day visit, during which he will hold talks and a working dinner with Japanese Foreign Minister Takeshi Iwaya. He is scheduled to fly to Washington on Friday for a meeting with US Secretary of State Marco Rubio.

The meetings come at a critical time, as South Korea faces a fast-approaching August 1 deadline for concluding tariff negotiations with the United States. Without a deal, South Korean exports could be hit with a 25% reciprocal tariff under new trade rules pushed by the Trump administration.

According to Yonhap news agency, Cho will likely coordinate with Iwaya on the tariff issue, particularly since Japan recently secured a partial trade agreement with Washington. That deal lowered Japan’s reciprocal tariff rate to 15% and includes a pledge to invest $550 billion into US industry.

Beyond trade, Cho’s meetings will cover key regional security issues, especially North Korea’s nuclear and missile threats. The talks aim to reinforce bilateral and trilateral cooperation between Seoul, Tokyo, and Washington.

Cho’s decision to prioritize Tokyo before Washington is seen as unusual, as newly appointed South Korean foreign ministers typically make the US their first diplomatic stop.

While Cho has already held a phone call with Iwaya last Thursday, he has yet to speak with Secretary Rubio. Both sides, however, have expressed readiness to deepen cooperation on regional and global issues.

The visit signals Seoul’s intent to maintain high-level engagement amid economic uncertainty and growing geopolitical challenges in the Indo-Pacific.