Foreign Minister Cho Hyun met with U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio in Washington on Friday, just three days before President Lee Jae Myung’s first summit with U.S. President Donald Trump.

According to Seoul's foreign ministry, Cho and Rubio checked up on the "future-oriented" agenda for the summit, as well as progress in cooperation across security, economics, and technology.

Cho emphasized the historic significance of the upcoming meeting, and asked his U.S. counterpart to make a special effort to ensure its success.

Rubio, for his part, said he expects the leaders' summit to be both constructive and productive, creating a win-win outcome for both nations.

He also called President Lee's visit to Japan before traveling to Washington a "sensible decision," and pledged U.S. support to further strengthen trilateral security cooperation with Tokyo.

The two sides exchanged views on North Korea's nuclear issue and regional security. Cho explained Seoul's resolve to engage with Pyongyang for peace on the Korean Peninsula and efforts to rebuild trust between the two Koreas.

In addition, Cho met with U.S. Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick to push for a swift conclusion to follow-up tariff negotiations before the summit. Those talks are currently being led by South Korea’s Industry and Energy Minister Kim Jung-kwan and Trade Minister Yeo Han-koo.