Trilateral Defense Ministers Meeting of Korea, the US, and Japan Postponed 'Until After the Presidential Election'

[Asia Economy Yang Nak-gyu, Military Specialist Reporter] The face-to-face meeting of the defense ministers of the three countries, South Korea, the United States, and Japan, is expected to be postponed due to the Ukraine situation.

On the 3rd, a Ministry of Defense official stated, "The final schedule has not been set," adding, "There are various international situations during the discussion process, so the discussions are slightly delayed."

When asked whether the delay was due to the Ukraine situation rather than disagreements among the three countries, the official replied, "It would be better to see it that way." The military authorities of the three countries initially planned to hold a face-to-face meeting in Hawaii starting in January, but due to the spread of the COVID-19 Omicron variant, they substituted it with a telephone conference and have since been discussing holding the meeting again earlier this month. However, Russia's invasion of Ukraine and the United States' full-scale efforts on economic sanctions and other responses against Russia are interpreted to have affected the trilateral ministerial meeting as well.

In response to the question, "Is the policy to hold a face-to-face meeting in March still in place?" the official explained, "It is difficult to make a definitive statement," adding, "Since the three countries need to mutually agree and consent, discussions will continue."

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