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| National Security Adviser Cho Tae-yong, right, U.S. National Security Adviser Jake Sullivan, left, and Japan's National Security Secretariat Secretary General Takeo Akiba pose at their meeting in Tokyo on June 15, in this photo provided by the presidential office. Yonhap |
The national security advisers of South Korea, the United States and Japan agreed Thursday to strengthen practical cooperation among the three countries in responding to North Korea and other regional security issues, the presidential office said.
The agreement was reached during trilateral talks involving National Security Adviser Cho Tae-yong, U.S. National Security Adviser Jake Sullivan and Japan's National Security Secretariat Secretary General Takeo Akiba in Tokyo, the office said in a press release.
The three discussed North Korea, regional security issues and trilateral cooperation measures, and agreed to "further strengthen cooperation between the three countries aimed at contributing to regional peace and stability," it said.
The advisers recalled that President Yoon Suk Yeol, U.S. President Joe Biden and Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida agreed during their trilateral summit in Hiroshima, Japan, last month, to bolster deterrence against the North, and strengthen the free and open international order.
They agreed to continue cooperation for swift and effective follow-up measures, and to continue discussions to prepare for a trilateral summit proposed by the U.S.
Following the trilateral talks, Cho met separately with Sullivan, and the two discussed bilateral relations, North Korea, and regional and global cooperation.
They agreed to faithfully implement the various agreements reached during the Yoon-Biden summit in Washington in April, including the establishment of a Nuclear Consultative Group, and further develop the global comprehensive strategic alliance between the two countries.
In a bilateral meeting with Akiba on Wednesday, Cho stressed South Korea's position that the release of radioactive water from the crippled Fukushima nuclear power plant should proceed safely in line with international laws and standards.
The two noted the three Yoon-Kishida summits held between March and May made it widely known that the bilateral relationship has fully entered the improvement phase and welcomed the active discussions that are currently under way through high-level exchanges to promote bilateral cooperation.
They also reaffirmed the need to strengthen bilateral cooperation, trilateral cooperation with the U.S., and international solidarity in order to firmly respond to North Korea's nuclear and missile provocations.
Also Thursday, the two countries held the second session of their economic security dialogue in Tokyo, led by Wang Yun-jong, presidential secretary for economic security, and his counterpart from the Japanese prime minister's office, Yasuo Takamura.
The two sides discussed such issues as critical and emerging technologies, strengthening supply chain cooperation and economic coercion, and exchanged views on technological and personnel exchanges in the semiconductor, battery and bio sectors, among other issues. (Yonhap)
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