Jeong Eui-yong, Director of National Security Office, Visits U.S. Today... Korea-U.S.-Japan Trilateral Consultation Held

Amid Rising Risks of North Korean Provocations and Middle East Tensions

South Korea, U.S., and Japan Discuss Trilateral Cooperation

[Image source=Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy Reporter Kwon Jae-hee] Chung Eui-yong, Director of the South Korean National Security Office at the Blue House, is expected to visit the United States to hold a high-level security meeting among South Korea, the U.S., and Japan.

This trilateral high-level meeting draws attention as it takes place amid escalating tensions between North Korea and the U.S. due to North Korea’s announcement of “pursuit-type actual actions,” and worsening Middle East conditions following the U.S. operation to eliminate a key Iranian military figure.

Director Chung is scheduled to depart on the 7th and arrive in Washington D.C. on the same day (local time).

The South Korea-U.S.-Japan high-level security meeting is expected to be held on the 8th in Washington D.C., with Director Chung, Robert O’Brien, U.S. National Security Advisor, and Shigeru Kitamura, Director of Japan’s National Security Secretariat, attending.

During this trilateral meeting, South Korea, the U.S., and Japan are anticipated to discuss countermeasures to bring North Korea back to the negotiating table, in light of North Korean Supreme Leader Kim Jong-un’s remarks at the plenary meeting on the 1st mentioning “new strategic weapons” and hinting at the resumption of nuclear tests and intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM) launches, raising the possibility of high-intensity provocations.

This trilateral meeting among the security chiefs of South Korea, the U.S., and Japan is interpreted as a restoration of triangular cooperation on North Korea response amid the serious situation on the Korean Peninsula.

Additionally, as Middle East risks rise following the U.S. killing of Qasem Soleimani, commander of the Quds Force of Iran’s Revolutionary Guards, the meeting is expected to include sharing of the situation and discussions on international efforts to stabilize the regional situation.

At the request of the U.S., the South Korean government has been considering dispatching troops to the Strait of Hormuz, but with the conflict between the U.S. and Iran escalating toward the brink of war, the government faces deepening concerns.

The meeting was initially planned for early December last year but was postponed due to differences over the South Korea-Japan military intelligence-sharing agreement (GSOMIA). Later, following the South Korea-Japan summit on December 24, which helped create a dialogue atmosphere between the two countries, the trilateral security cooperation was reaffirmed and the meeting was rescheduled, according to Kyodo News.

Director Chung is expected to return on the 9th after concluding the South Korea-U.S.-Japan high-level security talks. Previously, in October last year, he had made a confidential visit to the U.S. to discuss the GSOMIA issue with National Security Advisor O’Brien.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.