U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio has canceled his planned visit to South Korea just five days before his scheduled arrival on July 8. He had initially intended to travel to South Korea and Japan after attending the ASEAN Regional Forum (ARF) foreign ministers’ meeting in Malaysia on July 10.
Seoul and Washington had been finalizing plans for Rubio to meet President Lee Jae-myung during his stay in South Korea from July 8 to 9. However, on July 2, the U.S. State Department informed the South Korean government of the cancellation, citing “urgent circumstances.”
Diplomatic sources say Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is set to visit Washington on July 7 for a summit with U.S. President Donald Trump, which Rubio will attend. Rubio will now only take part in the ARF meeting in Malaysia, canceling his visits to both South Korea and Japan.
With Lee’s first U.S. visit and a summit with Trump still unconfirmed, and Rubio’s Seoul visit now canceled, diplomatic concerns are growing over possible strains in South Korea-U.S. relations. Some worry that if the summit is delayed until August or later, it could disrupt Seoul’s diplomatic plans with other major partners like Japan and China.
The South Korean government reportedly only learned of Washington’s change in stance when it received the cancellation notice on July 3, just five days before Rubio’s scheduled arrival. Officials had been finalizing detailed plans for Lee’s meeting with Rubio until the day before. A diplomatic source said, “Even with Rubio’s demanding roles as Secretary of State and national security advisor, canceling a first visit to a key ally like South Korea on such short notice is highly unusual.”
The last-minute cancellation has raised concerns that South Korea is being sidelined in U.S. foreign policy priorities, behind issues such as the Middle East and the Ukraine war. Park Won-gon, a professor at Ewha Womans University, said, “This suggests South Korea may not be treated as a key partner in the U.S. Indo-Pacific strategy, which focuses on countering China and addressing North Korea’s nuclear threat.”
Though Rubio canceled his Japan visit as well, he had already met Japanese Foreign Minister Takeshi Iwaya on July 1 during a Quad foreign ministers’ meeting involving the U.S., Japan, Australia, and India. The four countries issued a joint statement condemning North Korea for violating multiple U.N. Security Council resolutions through ballistic missile launches and continued nuclear development. With South Korea left out of both the summit and Rubio’s visit, the Quad—not a Korea-U.S. platform—issued the statement denouncing Pyongyang. The ongoing vacancy at South Korea’s foreign ministry, with nominee Cho Hyun still awaiting confirmation, may have also influenced Rubio’s cancellation.
Rubio’s visit was expected to help coordinate the agenda for the upcoming South Korea–U.S. summit. His absence has fueled concerns that the two governments remain divided over key issues, including tariffs and defense cost-sharing. The summit is increasingly likely to be delayed until August. Seoul and Washington had hoped to hold the meeting by the end of July so President Lee could meet key Washington figures before the U.S. Congress begins its August recess.
Kim Sung-han, a former national security adviser, said, “While President Lee has yet to visit Washington, China is actively trying to draw South Korea closer by inviting him to its Victory Day celebrations and widely publicizing the move.” He added, “The Lee administration needs to send a clear message to the Trump administration that the Korea–U.S. alliance remains a top priority.”
