The national security advisers of South Korea, the United States and Japan will meet in Seoul this week to discuss joint responses to regional geopolitical risks, including North Korean threats, Seoul’s top envoy in Washington said Monday.
Ambassador Cho Hyun-dong made the remarks as South Korea’s National Security Adviser Cho Tae-yong and his U.S. and Japanese counterparts, Jake Sullivan and Takeo Akiba, respectively, are set to hold three-way talks Friday and Saturday, according to sources.
“The national security advisers from our three countries will gather in Seoul to strategize how to respond to the geopolitical risks in the region, particularly the threat emanating from North Korea,” Cho said during the Trans-Pacific Dialogue, a forum hosted by the Chey Institute for Advanced Studies.
Cho mentioned the security advisers’ meeting as part of the three countries’ efforts to advance cooperation following the Camp David summit in August.
The summit of South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol and his U.S. and Japanese counterparts, Joe Biden and Fumio Kishida, produced a series of landmark agreements, including their “commitment to consult” each other in case of a common threat.
“We all face growing threats from North Korea — rapidly advancing nuclear and missile programs and its aggressive nuclear posture and belligerent rhetoric,” he said. “So, it’s only natural that we adopt a collective response to better deter Pyongyang and keep our region safe and secure.”
The ambassador pointed out that North Korea’s recent launch of a spy satellite and its claim of success in the launch underscored the urgency for security cooperation among the three countries.
“It’s also worth noting that after failing to launch a satellite in both May and August, the launch was only successful after the Putin-Kim summit,” Cho said.
North Korean leader Kim Jong-un and Russian President Vladimir Putin held a high-profile summit at the Vostochny Cosmodrome, a Russian spaceport, in September, raising concerns about growing military cooperation between Pyongyang and Moscow.
Source: Yonhap News
Leave a Comment