"South Korea, US, and Japan Coordinating Summit Meeting at US Camp David on the 18th of Next Month"

Discussion on Strengthening Military and Economic Security Cooperation
First Summit at US President's Retreat Since Biden's Inauguration

The governments of South Korea, the United States, and Japan are coordinating plans to hold a summit on the 18th of next month at Camp David, the U.S. President's retreat located in Maryland, to discuss military and economic security cooperation, Yomiuri Shimbun reported on the 20th. If the South Korea-U.S.-Japan summit takes place next month, it will be the first meeting held independently of other international conferences.

According to the Yomiuri report, it is expected that President Yoon Suk-yeol, U.S. President Joe Biden, and Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida will confirm policies to strengthen trilateral cooperation, including enhancing deterrence against North Korea, at this summit.

First, the three leaders are anticipated to discuss sharing missile-related information detected by each country's radar systems and ways to strengthen the U.S. extended deterrence. At the South Korea-U.S.-Japan summit held in Phnom Penh, Cambodia, during the ASEAN summit in November last year, the three leaders agreed on real-time sharing of North Korean missile warning information. They also met in Hiroshima this May during the G7 summit and decided to advance trilateral cooperation to reinforce deterrence against North Korea and uphold a free and open international order based on the rule of law. Regarding economic security, discussions are expected to include strengthening semiconductor supply chains and cooperation with Indo-Pacific partner countries.

[Image source=Yonhap News]

However, it is anticipated that expanding Japan's participation in the U.S.-South Korea Nuclear Consultative Group (NCG) will not be discussed. Kim Tae-hyo, First Deputy Director of the National Security Office, dismissed this possibility during a joint press briefing after the first U.S.-South Korea NCG meeting on the 18th, stating, "The discussions within the U.S.-South Korea NCG are entirely bilateral nuclear planning consultations." Kurt Campbell, U.S. National Security Council (NSC) Indo-Pacific Coordinator, also emphasized, "The efforts between the two countries are proceeding bilaterally," and "They are fully focused on bilateral efforts."

Yomiuri explained that this will be the first time the three leaders hold a trilateral summit independently, separate from attending other international meetings. Previously, the three leaders met during international conferences such as the NATO summit in Madrid, Spain, in June last year, the ASEAN summit in November, and the G7 summit in May this year.

Yomiuri also reported that this is the first time President Biden has invited foreign leaders to Camp David since taking office. Camp David is a private retreat for the U.S. President and their family, located in Maryland near Washington, D.C. Former South Korean President Lee Myung-bak held a summit with then-President George W. Bush at this location in 2008. Yomiuri interpreted that the three leaders aim to build personal trust through this meeting and signal their intentions to the international community, including China.

Meanwhile, Asahi Shimbun reported that Prime Minister Kishida is also considering holding separate bilateral meetings with President Biden and President Yoon.

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