Trilateral Defense Ministers Meeting Postponed... Due to US Defense Minister Testing Positive for COVID-19

Minister of National Defense Seo Wook is greeting U.S. Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin, who attended the Korea-U.S. Defense Ministers' Meeting held at the Ministry of National Defense in Yongsan-gu, Seoul, on the afternoon of the 17th. Photo by Joint Press Corps

[Asia Economy Yang Nak-gyu, Military Specialist Reporter] The trilateral defense ministers' meeting between South Korea, the United States, and Japan has been postponed. U.S. Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin tested positive for COVID-19, and considering the rapid spread of the Omicron variant in Hawaii and other areas, the meeting originally scheduled for the 13th (local time) has been delayed.

On the 6th, a government official stated, "We understand that the trilateral defense ministers' meeting between South Korea, the United States, and Japan, which was scheduled to be held in Hawaii in mid-month, has been postponed due to the impact of COVID-19."

South Korea, the U.S., and Japan had planned to hold the trilateral meeting for the first time in over two years since the ASEAN Defense Ministers' Meeting-Plus (ADMM-Plus) in Bangkok, Thailand, in November 2019. The meeting was expected to be attended by Defense Minister Suh Wook, Secretary Austin, and Defense Minister Kishi Nobuo (岸信夫).

However, on the 2nd, Secretary Austin showed suspected COVID-19 symptoms while on leave at his residence and tested positive. After confirming Secretary Austin's COVID-19 infection, the three countries initially considered holding the meeting online but ultimately decided to postpone it altogether.

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