South Korea’s foreign minister Cho Hyun held separate phone calls this week with his Brazilian and Mexican counterparts, discussing ways to expand energy and supply chain cooperation as Seoul seeks to mitigate risks stemming from disruptions in the Middle East, the foreign ministry said on Thursday. In a call on Wednesday with Brazilian Foreign Minister Mauro Vieira, Cho highlighted ongoing global supply chain instability driven by the Middle East situation and expressed hope for closer cooperation with Brazil, a major oil producer, in energy security and supply chains.

In a separate call on Thursday with newly appointed Mexican Foreign