Trilateral Summit of South Korea, the US, and Japan at NATO on the 29th... South Korea-Japan Meeting Canceled

[Image source=Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy Reporter Ki-min Lee] A trilateral summit between South Korea, the United States, and Japan is scheduled to take place in Madrid, Spain, on the 29th and 30th (local time), coinciding with the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) summit.

A presidential office official held a briefing at the Yongsan Presidential Office on the afternoon of the 26th to explain President Yoon Suk-yeol's schedule for attending the NATO summit.

If the South Korea-U.S.-Japan summit is held this time, it will be the first such meeting in 4 years and 9 months since the initial summit held during the early days of the previous Moon Jae-in administration in September 2017, coinciding with the United Nations General Assembly.

For this NATO summit, Asia-Pacific partner countries including South Korea, Japan, Australia, and New Zealand were invited, and President Yoon's participation marks the first time a South Korean president has attended a NATO summit.

The trilateral summit is scheduled for 2:30 p.m. local time on the 29th (9:30 p.m. Korean time on the 29th), although the official time may be subject to change, according to the official.

Attending the summit will be President Yoon Suk-yeol, U.S. President Joe Biden, and Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida, along with some accompanying officials. However, due to a tight schedule, the meeting is expected to last no longer than 30 minutes.

Summits that had drawn attention regarding their possibility, such as the South Korea-Japan summit and the four-nation summit involving South Korea, Japan, Australia, and New Zealand, have effectively been canceled.

There is also expected to be no 'pull aside' informal talks between the South Korean and Japanese leaders. The official explained, "No matter how much the two leaders stand and talk, there must be topics to discuss. Among South Korea, the U.S., and Japan, there are issues related to the Korean Peninsula situation to discuss. There have been no discussions on issues that South Korea and Japan need to resolve before the House of Councillors election (such as forced labor). If there is nothing to say to the media after the meeting, it is better not to hold it."

However, President Yoon and Prime Minister Kishida will meet at least three times, including at the dinner hosted by the King of Spain, the NATO summit, and the South Korea-U.S.-Japan summit.

Regarding the four-nation summit, the presidential office official said, "The schedule is too tight, and it is currently uncertain whether there is a separate agenda. Considering the nature of the NATO meeting, there is concern about whether there will be enough time for separate talks with the invited countries."

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