Kim Sung-han, National Security Office Chief, "South Korea-US-Japan to Respond Differently if North Korea Conducts 7th Nuclear Test" (Comprehensive)

South Korea-US-Japan National Security Advisors "EDSCG Activation"
Agreement to Strengthen Cooperation on Economic Security Issues
US Promises to Reconsider Inflation Reduction Act

Kim Sung-han, Director of the National Security Office, is taking a commemorative photo with Jake Sullivan, U.S. National Security Advisor, at the U.S. Indo-Pacific Command in Honolulu, Hawaii, on the 1st (local time).
[Image source=Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy Reporter Ki-min Lee] The security chiefs of South Korea, the United States, and Japan have agreed to respond in a different manner if North Korea’s seventh nuclear test materializes.

They also agreed to jointly explore discussions on the “Extended Deterrence Strategy Coordination Group (EDSCG),” which aims to elevate the issue to the international community level and coordinate countermeasures against North Korea’s nuclear attack threats.

At the meeting, the U.S. side stated that they would "go back and carefully review" the Inflation Reduction Act (IRA), which has sparked controversy over discrimination as electric vehicles produced in South Korea are excluded from U.S. subsidy support, leaving room for a possible shift in stance.

Kim Sung-han, Director of the National Security Office at the Presidential Office, said to reporters after the trilateral security chiefs meeting held in Hawaii, U.S., on the 1st (local time), “We agreed that there must never be a complacent mindset or response that regards North Korea’s seventh nuclear test as just one more after the previous six tests,” emphasizing this point.

Kim also revealed the possibility of activating the trilateral EDSCG. He explained, “At the EDSCG scheduled for mid-month, we will discuss specific measures to strengthen extended deterrence. Since discussions are also underway between the U.S. and Japan, if necessary, we will seek opportunities to review trilateral extended deterrence.”

Regarding President Yoon Suk-yeol’s denuclearization roadmap for the Korean Peninsula, the “Bold Initiative,” he conveyed, “The U.S. and Japan fully agreed on exploring ways to bring North Korea to the dialogue table through various incentives expressed in the Bold Initiative.”

The security chiefs of South Korea, the U.S., and Japan also agreed to strengthen cooperation on economic security issues. Kim emphasized, mentioning batteries and semiconductors, “We agreed to seek joint responses by South Korea, the U.S., and Japan in case of supply chain disruption activities on a global scale.”

In particular, regarding the IRA, the U.S. side clearly indicated at this meeting that it would consider the issue not merely from a national interest perspective but as a supply chain matter among liberal democracies. According to Kim, Jake Sullivan, U.S. National Security Advisor, promised during the bilateral South Korea-U.S. talks the previous day to review the IRA’s impact at the NSC level, and at the trilateral meeting said, “The IRA is not just a law limited to electric vehicles but contains a strategic direction on how to redefine supply chain issues among liberal democracies.”

From the U.S. perspective, since South Korea and Japan are major importers of American automobiles and simultaneously two pillars of East Asian alliances, this can be interpreted as a strategic consideration. However, Kim explained that thorough verification of the IRA is needed, followed by additional consultations with the U.S.

The Presidential Office evaluated the trilateral security chiefs’ meeting as “a further strengthening of a close cooperative system that allows for frequent communication and collaboration going forward.”

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