US Secretary of State: "Korea-US-Japan Summit, Historic Meeting... Concrete Security Measures to Emerge"

U.S. Secretary of State Tony Blinken defined the upcoming trilateral summit between South Korea, the U.S., and Japan, scheduled for the 18th (local time) at Camp David, as a "historic meeting" and expressed expectations that it will open a new chapter of trilateral cooperation. He particularly forecasted that concrete measures to strengthen security at the trilateral level would be discussed. He also reiterated the commitment to the denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula.

[Image source=AFP Yonhap News]

At a State Department briefing on the 15th, Secretary Blinken stated, "President Joe Biden will invite President Yoon Suk-yeol and Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida to Camp David on Friday (the 18th)," adding, "I believe this will mark a new chapter in trilateral cooperation."

He emphasized the significance of the trilateral summit by saying, "This summit is being held at a time when our region and the world face tests such as geopolitical competition, the climate crisis, Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, and nuclear provocations," and described it as "part of efforts to strengthen and solidify alliances and partnerships." Furthermore, he explained, "This opportunity will allow us to reaffirm our shared vision of a free, open, prosperous, and stable Indo-Pacific," meaning "a place where nations can freely chart their own paths and find partners, where issues are resolved openly, rules are transparently upheld and fairly applied, and goods, ideas, and people can move freely and lawfully."

Secretary Blinken stated, "South Korea and Japan are key allies not only regionally but globally," and added, "Strengthening trilateral cooperation is very important for our people, our region, and the world." He further attributed significance by saying, "This deepens peace and prosperity in the Indo-Pacific and reinforces our commitment to the complete denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula." He emphasized the importance of this summit by noting, "This is exactly why President Biden is holding this historic meeting," and highlighted that "it is the first time since 2015 that foreign leaders are visiting Camp David, and it is also the first time that a trilateral summit among South Korea, the U.S., and Japan is held independently."

The summit is expected to discuss cooperation measures across various fields including security, economic security, finance, and critical technologies. In particular, a significant portion is anticipated to focus on security issues including economic security. Secretary Blinken explained, "It will be an opportunity to discuss and strengthen practical cooperation on a variety of shared priorities ranging from physical security to economic security, humanitarian assistance, finance, global health, and technology." While he said he does not expect a dominant agenda, he predicted, "At the core of each bilateral alliance is security. I do not want to get ahead of things, but we will see some concrete measures for broader security capabilities at the trilateral level."

When asked whether the trilateral summit would become an annual regular event, he responded, "We fully expect that this meeting will lead to more institutionalized trilateral cooperation and various levels of regularized meetings on Friday (the day of the summit)." Regarding Japan’s plan to discharge treated water, Secretary Blinken said, "The U.S. is satisfied with Japan’s plan," adding, "It is safe and meets international standards, including those of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA)."

Secretary Blinken also confirmed that prior to the briefing, earlier that day (Korean time, the afternoon of the 15th), he held a virtual meeting with South Korean Foreign Minister Park Jin and Japanese Foreign Minister Yoshimasa Hayashi. Additionally, he expressed condolences on the passing of President Yoon Suk-yeol’s father, Yoon Ki-jung, an honorary professor at Yonsei University. At the beginning of the briefing, he said, "Above all, I want to take this opportunity to express the United States’ deepest condolences on the passing of President Yoon’s father," and added, "He was an outstanding scholar in every respect and supported the strengthening of Korea-Japan relations."

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