Yoon: "How Can Security Be Threatened by Trilateral Cooperation?"... Rebuttal to Opposition

Yoon "Risk of External Attacks Reduced Through Trilateral Cooperation"
Democratic Party Launches Continuous Offensive Calling It "Dummy Diplomacy" for "Security Undermining"

President Yoon Suk-yeol mentioned the strengthening of trilateral security cooperation achieved at the Korea-US-Japan summit on the 21st, stating, "If we become stronger through the cooperation of the three countries, the risk of external attacks decreases, so how can security become threatened?" This remark was aimed at the opposition parties who collectively criticized the diplomatic achievements of the Korea-US-Japan summit. President Yoon expressed confidence, saying, "Through trilateral cooperation, the economy will gain a larger market where our companies and citizens can expand."

In his closing remarks at the Cabinet meeting that morning, President Yoon emphasized, "The three countries previously cooperated only in a limited manner in the security domain, but through this summit, we institutionalized and solidified a comprehensive cooperation system across all fields including security, economy, and science and technology."

[Image source=Yonhap News]

At this occasion, President Yoon stated that tangible benefits could be gained in all areas discussed at the historic first-ever standalone Korea-US-Japan summit, including supply chains, financial foreign exchange markets, and advanced science and technology. He added, "With the Korea-US-Japan trilateral cooperation system established at Camp David, risks for our citizens will definitely decrease and opportunities will definitely increase," further explaining, "Economic cooperation and the promotion of human exchanges among the three countries will greatly contribute to securing future growth engines for the Republic of Korea and creating high-quality, high-income jobs."

Regarding the opposition parties' criticism that the cooperation harms security, President Yoon unusually responded directly, saying, "If we become stronger through trilateral cooperation, the risk of external attacks decreases." On the same day, the Democratic Party launched a barrage of attacks, claiming that President Yoon returned without securing practical national interests and calling it 'a diplomatic sideshow.' At a Supreme Council meeting held at the National Assembly, Representative Lee Jae-myung harshly criticized, saying, "Due to President Yoon's incompetence, the primary principle of diplomacy, 'national interest first,' has collapsed."

However, at the Cabinet meeting that day, President Yoon expressed confidence regarding security, another core pillar of the Korea-US-Japan summit outcomes, stating, "The more North Korea's provocative threats increase, the more solid the trilateral security cooperation structure among Korea, the US, and Japan will become." This referred to the adoption of the 'Commitment to Consult' on trilateral consultations addressing joint threats, and he announced, "Korea, the US, and Japan will concentrate their capabilities on monitoring and blocking cyber illegal activities that fund the North Korean regime's nuclear missile development."

In his closing remarks, he reiterated the economic benefits such as strengthening supply chains. President Yoon said, "Even when problems arise in supply chains or financial sectors within the market, cooperation among the three countries will quickly stabilize the situation," and urged Cabinet members once again, "Please develop systems that enable cooperation among Korea, the US, and Japan in each ministry and promote close communication."

The Presidential Office views the outcomes of the trilateral summit as likely to further advance cooperation in economic areas such as supply chains for semiconductors and batteries, technology security and standards, critical minerals, and bio technology?fields that will be future sources of livelihood and new growth engines in advanced industries, innovative technologies, and supply chains. This agreement comes amid increasing supply chain instability and intensified competition in advanced technologies, aiming to raise the level of cooperation to respond to common threats and pursue shared interests among Korea, the US, and Japan.

Above all, it is significant for Korea, which has a resource-poor and highly externally dependent economic structure, to have secured a stable supply chain. President Yoon also mentioned the 'element water crisis' during the Moon Jae-in administration, saying, "In the event of such external disruptive factors, rapid cooperative responses will be possible, and uncertainties for companies related to the supply of critical minerals, materials, and equipment essential for semiconductor, electric vehicle, and battery production are expected to be greatly reduced."

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