Seoul, February 16 (QNA) - South Korea's foreign ministry said on Sunday that South Korea Foreign Minister Cho Tae-yul and his US counterpart Marco Rubio agreed in bilateral talks in Munich, Germany, to strengthen close cooperation on issues related to North Korea under the administration of US President Donald Trump.

The ministry said in a statement carried by South Korean News Agency (Yonhap) that "the two ministers reaffirmed their commitment to the complete denuclearization of North Korea, and agreed to closely cooperate in the formulation and implementation of North Korea policies in the future." "They also shared concerns over military cooperation between Russia and North Korea, and agreed to continue the monitoring of the situation," Yonhap added.

The statement added that the two ministers also discussed economic issues, with the South Korean foreign minister calling for mutually beneficial solutions regarding customs duties and expressing his country's commitment to resolving these issues through close bilateral consultations with the US. In return, the US Secretary of State expressed his country's readiness to enhance cooperation with Seoul in sectors such as shipbuilding and energy.

The talks, which took place on the sidelines of the Munich Security Conference, were the first between the two ministers since Rubio took office in January.

For his part, Rubio affirmed the US commitment to the complete denuclearization of North Korea, affirming Seoul's role as a strategic ally of the US in the region.

Later, Cho and Rubio held a trilateral meeting with Japanese Foreign Minister Takeshi Iwaya, where they affirmed their firm commitment to the denuclearization of North Korea, issued a stern warning against any provocations by North Korea, and stressed the continuation of pressure on it through strengthening international sanctions.

Regarding economic cooperation, emphasis was placed on the need to strengthen economic relations between the three countries, including increasing US liquefied natural gas (LNG) exports to South Korea.

The meeting comes at a sensitive time as South Korea works to ensure stability in its relations with the Trump administration, especially in light of ongoing tensions over North Korean threats and international economic issues. (QNA)