US Ambassador: "Upgrade the Korea-US-Japan Trilateral Consultative Body... Stronger than the Quad"

Ambassador Cho Hyun-dong recently evaluated the trilateral summit held at Camp David, stating that "the Korea-US-Japan cooperation mechanism has been upgraded to a genuine top-level small multilateral consultative body."

Cho Hyun-dong, Ambassador to the United States

At a press briefing held on the 24th (local time) at the Korean Cultural Center in Washington DC, Ambassador Cho said, "In terms of regional scope, agenda, and the structure of the consultative mechanism, the Korea-US-Japan cooperation is even stronger compared to other regional small multilateral consultative bodies that the US values highly, such as the Quad (security consultative body of the US, Japan, Australia, and India) and AUKUS (security alliance of the US, UK, and Australia)."

He emphasized, "Korea, the US, and Japan cover the Indo-Pacific region and specifically address a wide range of fields including security, economy, advanced technology, regional and global cooperation, health, and people-to-people exchanges. At the same time, a comprehensive and multilayered consultative mechanism involving leaders, ministers, and deputy minister-level officials is tightly organized, evolving into a robust cooperation platform."

He added, "The regular consultations at the ministerial level involving national security advisors, foreign affairs, defense, as well as commerce and finance ministers, are cases rarely found in other small multilateral consultative bodies."

Ambassador Cho explained, "This summit was a meeting that drew a cooperation blueprint for the future of the three countries, Korea, the US, and Japan," and added, "It signifies that a future foundation has been established for Korea-US-Japan cooperation to develop stably and institutionally even if circumstances change."

Regarding opinions from the Chinese side that the meeting was aimed at their country, he rebutted, "Considering the context and background of the meeting, the Korea-US-Japan leaders gathered not with a specific country in mind but to discuss cooperation measures for joint safety, prosperity, peace, and sustainability in response to various global challenges emerging in this era of complex crises."

Furthermore, about the separate documents produced at this meeting besides the Camp David spirit, such as principles and consultation commitments, he said, "They show the firm will and vision of the three leaders for future cooperation among the three countries," and evaluated, "It was possible because the leaders had a strong determination to respond to challenges through solidarity among countries sharing core values at this historical turning point."

He continued, "We are closely consulting to hold the Korea-China-Japan summit, which has been suspended for years, within this year and expect positive outcomes."

Regarding North Korea's satellite launch the previous day, he pointed out, "Although the result was another failure, regardless of success or failure, North Korea's launch using ballistic missile technology is a clear violation of UN Security Council resolutions," and added, "North Korea's reckless launch shows that its internal decision-making process is irrational and rigid."

He emphasized, "Since North Korea continues reckless provocations, we must not lower our guard and must prepare for provocations," and stressed, "In response to any provocations by North Korea, not only Korea and the US but also the three countries, Korea, the US, and Japan, will systematically and closely cooperate."

Ambassador Cho added, "Even after yesterday's launch, the foreign ministers of the three countries quickly communicated, and going forward, the Korea-US-Japan trio will lead the international community's firm and effective response, including strong condemnation messages and additional sanctions."

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