Rubio-Cho meeting highlights the illusion of shared interests

Until Donald Trump turns his attention to the Korean Peninsula, the future remains in limbo, waiting for real power (and ego) to shape its fate.

The 15 February meeting between U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio and South Korean Foreign Minister Cho Tae-yul was little more than a diplomatic ritual devoid of substance. Although dressed up as a high-level reaffirmation of U.S.-South Korea ties, the meeting delivered nothing new. It could have taken place during the waning days of the Biden administration, with the same talking points, the same empty reassurances, and the same lack of outcomes.

Despite attempts to project strength and unity, the meeting revealed more about the current vacuum in South Korean leadership and unpredictability in U.S. leadership than it did about the alliance itself. With no decisive leader at the helm, South Korea is incapable of crafting long-term foreign policy or responding forthrightly to growing concerns.

Every gesture toward a grand strategy is undermined by South Korea’s fractured political environment, l…