South Korea and the U.S. will hold '2+2 meeting' on 31st... to focus on response to 'North Korea dispatch'

Diplomacy and defense ministers from South Korea and the U.S. will meet this week to discuss countermeasures regarding North Korea's dispatch of troops to Russia.

The Ministry of Foreign Affairs announced that Foreign Minister Cho Tae-yeol and Defense Minister Kim Yong-hyun will meet with U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken and U.S. Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin in Washington, U.S., on the 31st to hold the 6th Korea-U.S. Foreign Affairs and Defense Ministers' Meeting, the so-called "2+2 (Two Plus Two)" meeting.

He added that the meeting will also adopt a joint statement reflecting the results of the meeting after in-depth discussions on the Korean Peninsula, cooperation in the South Korea-U.S. alliance and regional issues.

In particular, the '2+2 meeting' is expected to hold in-depth discussions on sharing information on the recent dispatch of North Korean troops to Russia and how to respond to it.

The Foreign Ministry said the meeting is expected to be an opportunity to closely consult on key alliance issues, including the recent deepening military cooperation between Russia and North Korea.

Following the Korea-U.S. 2+2 meeting, Foreign Minister Cho Tae-yeol and Defense Minister Kim Yong-hyun will visit Canada to hold the first Korea-Canada "2+2 meeting."