Deputy Foreign Ministers of Korea, the US, and Japan, "Strengthening Trilateral Security Cooperation Amid North Korea's Nuclear Advancement"

[Asia Economy Reporter Yoo In-ho] The deputy foreign ministers of Korea, the United States, and Japan have agreed to strengthen trilateral security cooperation in response to North Korea's escalating nuclear and missile threats.

Cho Hyun-dong, First Vice Minister of Foreign Affairs (center), Wendy Sherman, U.S. Deputy Secretary of State, and Morita Takeo, Japanese Vice Minister for Foreign Affairs, are posing for a commemorative photo at the Korea-U.S.-Japan Deputy Foreign Ministers' Meeting held on the morning of the 8th at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs building in Jongno-gu, Seoul. Photo by Kim Hyun-min kimhyun81@

On the 8th, Cho Hyun-dong, First Vice Foreign Minister of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, held a trilateral deputy foreign ministers' meeting with Wendy Sherman, U.S. Deputy Secretary of State, and Mori Takeo, Administrative Vice Minister of Foreign Affairs of Japan, at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs building in Seoul, and announced this through a joint press release.

Vice Minister Cho said, "The three countries?Korea, the U.S., and Japan?agreed on the importance of close trilateral cooperation amid the possibility of additional provocations such as North Korea's 7th nuclear test and the escalating tangible threat posed by North Korea's nuclear weapons and missiles, and decided to strengthen Korea-U.S.-Japan security cooperation."

He emphasized, "The three countries reaffirmed their shared goal of denuclearization of North Korea and reconfirmed their joint recognition that North Korea's recent successive missile launches are serious provocations threatening peace and security on the Korean Peninsula and internationally."

He added, "While emphasizing that the door to dialogue with North Korea is always open, we agreed to further strengthen cooperation with the international community to ensure North Korea immediately ceases its illegal actions and returns to the dialogue table."

The three deputy ministers also plan to strengthen cooperation on global issues. Vice Minister Cho stated, "The three countries face new challenges beyond threats from North Korea, including the Ukraine crisis, COVID-19, supply chain disruptions, and climate change. Since these challenges cannot be resolved by any single country alone, trilateral cooperation is more essential than ever."

He pointed out that the geographical scope of trilateral cooperation is expanding beyond the Korean Peninsula to the Indo-Pacific region and the world, and that the breadth and depth of cooperation are deepening.

At the trilateral meeting, comprehensive discussions were held not only on Korean Peninsula issues but also on regional and global matters.

Vice Minister Cho expressed the new government's intention to expand cooperation within the Indo-Pacific region through participation in the Indo-Pacific Economic Framework (IPEF) and cooperation with the Quad, sharing plans to pursue an independent Indo-Pacific strategy in this context. The U.S. and Japanese deputy ministers supported and welcomed this.

The three countries also agreed to explore additional support measures for the restoration of peace and reconstruction in Ukraine.

Furthermore, they plan to strengthen cooperation on economic security and advanced technologies, while also exploring possibilities for cooperation in nuclear energy.

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