"First Meeting of South Korea-US-Japan Security Chiefs Discusses North Korea Issues and Semiconductors (Comprehensive)"

[Asia Economy Reporter Yujin Cho] On the 2nd (local time), the first trilateral meeting of the national security advisors of South Korea, the United States, and Japan since the launch of the Joe Biden administration is expected to focus on coordinating North Korea policy and semiconductor supply chains.

On the 1st (local time), a senior U.S. administration official said that discussions on the semiconductor sector would also take place at the South Korea-U.S.-Japan national security advisors meeting held in Maryland.

At a pre-briefing held ahead of the trilateral meeting, the official stated, "In addition to the core topic of North Korean denuclearization, technology sectors including semiconductors, supply chains, and biotechnology will be discussed."

He also explained, "Since the three countries hold the key to semiconductor manufacturing technology, we will confirm the importance of safeguarding the security of this supply chain." This is interpreted as expressing a stance to strengthen economic cooperation alongside security cooperation among South Korea, the U.S., and Japan, in order to maintain semiconductor security against China.

[Image source=Yonhap News]

Semiconductors have emerged as a new battleground in the U.S.-China hegemonic rivalry. The Biden administration announced in a speech in Pittsburgh the day before that out of a $2.3 trillion infrastructure investment plan, $50 billion would be allocated to support the U.S. semiconductor industry.

The United States plans to expand incentives for domestic semiconductor production and research and development (R&D), and to use these funds to establish the National Semiconductor Technology Center (NSTC).

The official said, "The three countries hold many keys to the future of semiconductor manufacturing technology," adding, "We will confirm the importance of keeping this sensitive supply chain secure," and that they will cooperate to uphold upcoming norms and standards discussions.

This trilateral meeting is the first time since the Biden administration took office that senior officials from South Korea, the U.S., and Japan have gathered in one place to discuss current issues. It was arranged to listen to and coordinate the opinions of the key allies South Korea and Japan as the Biden administration conducts its final review of North Korea policy since its inauguration in January.

On the same day, the U.S. State Department also emphasized trilateral cooperation in the process of establishing a new North Korea policy and expressed its intention to actively listen to the opinions of both South Korea and Japan during a regular briefing.

Ned Price, spokesperson for the U.S. State Department, said, "Denuclearization will be at the center of North Korea policy," adding, "All approaches to North Korea will be conducted in close coordination with close allies including South Korea and Japan."

He said that last month the U.S. emphasized the importance of close bilateral cooperation between South Korea and the U.S., and between the U.S. and Japan, as well as the necessity of close trilateral cooperation, expressing pleasure at seeing this meeting.

When asked whether this trilateral consultation is a kind of final stage in the policy review process or if more consultations are needed, he replied, "I do not want to go beyond what we have said before," and that "this means our review of North Korea policy is reaching a conclusion."

He said that throughout the review process, consultations were held not only with allies South Korea and Japan but also with other partners, and that this consultation will be a repetition of that process as the review nears completion. However, he added that he does not want to set a firm deadline for it.

The meeting will be attended by Jake Sullivan, White House National Security Advisor; Suh Hoon, South Korean National Security Office Director; and Shigeru Kitamura, Director of Japan’s National Security Secretariat. In addition to the trilateral meeting, bilateral meetings between South Korea and the U.S. and between South Korea and Japan will also be held.

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