Yoon, Biden, Kishida agree to strengthen extended deterrence against North Korea

South Korean President Yoon Suk-yeol, second from left, U.S. President Joe Biden, center, and Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida, right, pose for a photo before their trilateral summit at a hotel in Phnom Penh, Cambodia, Sunday. Yonhap

3 nations agree to share North Korean missile warning data in real time

By Nam Hyun-woo

South Korean President Yoon Suk-yeol, U.S. President Joe Biden and Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida agreed to strengthen trilateral cooperation to thwart North Korea's escalating missile and nuclear threats during a trilateral summit in Cambodia, Sunday.

The three leaders held a flurry of summits among them amid North Korea's escalating provocations in recent weeks.

"North Korea has been staging more hostile and assertive provocations than ever before," Yoon said during the three-way summit held on the sidelines of the East Asia Summit in Phnom Penh.

"North Korea's provocations, which were staged at a time when South Koreans are deeply saddened (by the Itaewon crowd crush), clearly show that the Kim Jong-un regime is anti-humanitarian and anti-humanity," Yoon said. "The cooperation among South Korea, the U.S. and Japan is a strong bastion for defending universal values and achieving peace and stability of the Korean Peninsula and Northeast Asia."

Biden and Kishida also noted North Korea's recent provocations threaten the region's peace and underscored the importance of trilateral cooperation among them.

"North Korea continues its provocative behavior, this partnership is even more important than it has ever been," Biden said in his opening remarks at the trilateral summit.

Kishida responded that the trilateral summit took place "in a very timely manner when North Korea is staging unprecedented provocations" and the three need to "strengthen trilateral cooperation for more resolved responses."

The Korea-U.S.-Japan trilateral summit was held four months after the three leaders sat down for talks in June on the sidelines of the NATO Summit in Spain.

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This shows that North Korea's recent saber-rattling has prompted the three countries' leaders to send the Kim regime a strong, coordinated warning. Though the trilateral summit ended after 15 minutes, apparently due to time constraints, their joint statement identified their agreement to strengthen deterrence against the North's recent provocations.

"President Biden reiterated that the U.S. commitment to defend Japan and the Republic of Korea is ironclad and backed by the full range of capabilities, including nuclear," the statement reads. "As the regional security environment grows more challenging, President Biden reaffirms that the U.S. commitment to reinforce extended deterrence to Japan and the Republic of Korea will only strengthen."

As part of their agreement, the leaders confirmed their intent to share "missile warning data in real time to improve each country's ability to detect and assess the threat posed by incoming missiles."

Also, the leaders agreed to launch "a dialogue among the three governments on economic security," as they emphasize the importance of trilateral cooperation to strengthen the "rules-based economic order to enhance economic security and prosperity throughout the Indo-Pacific and the world."

President Yoon Suk-yeol listens to his U.S. counterpart Joe Biden during their summit at a hotel in Phnom Penh, Cambodia, Sunday. Yonhap

North Korea's provocations were also the main subject of South Korea-U.S. and South Korea-Japan summits.

During their 50-minute bilateral summit, which took place before the trilateral meeting, Yoon and Biden shared serious concerns on North Korea's unprecedented provocations and agreed to maintain and strengthen cooperation and joint defense posture, according to South Korea's presidential office. The two leaders also reaffirmed that both Seoul and Washington will explore every possible measure to respond with overwhelming force to any type of nuclear use by North Korea.

Biden reaffirmed the U.S. commitment to provide extended deterrence to defend South Korea is ironclad.

Also in the meeting, Biden acknowledged South Korean companies' major contributions to the U.S. economy in the car and rechargeable battery industries, which he said should be considered in the discussions for setting up action plans for the U.S. Inflation Reduction Act (IRA).

During his meetings and encounters with Biden this year, Yoon has been reiterating that the IRA would deal a hefty blow to South Korean carmakers selling electric vehicles (EVs), as the act will provide tax credits to buyers of EVs assembled only in North America.

President Yoon Suk-yeol, right, shakes hands with Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida during their summit at a hotel in Phnom Penh, Cambodia, Sunday. Yonhap

During a summit between Yoon and Kishida after the trilateral meeting, the leaders strongly condemned North Korea's repeated launches of ballistic missiles, which pose a serious threat to the peace and safety of Northeast Asia and the international community.

The two leaders also agreed to join efforts to strengthen the United Nations Security Council's response to the North's provocations and enhance security cooperation between Seoul, Washington and Tokyo, according to a press release issued by South Korea's presidential office. The press release did not reveal whether there were talks on improving bilateral relations.