The leaders of South Korea, Japan, and the United States issued a joint statement on Sunday marking the anniversary of their summit at Camp David and reaffirming their commitment to jointly address regional challenges, South Korea’s presidential office said.
A statement issued by the office of South Korean President Yoon Seok-yul said that the principles of trilateral cooperation established at last year’s summit serve as a roadmap for cooperation between the three countries.
“We remain committed to addressing regional challenges, provocations, and threats affecting our collective interests and security,” He said.
US President Joe Biden, Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida, and Yun met on August 18 last year and agreed to deepen military and economic cooperation and take a united stand against China’s rising power and security threats from North Korea.
South Korean media, citing unnamed sources, have said the leaders plan to meet again this year, but it is not yet clear when Kishida has announced he will step down.
A senior South Korean presidential official said there would be two or three occasions where the three leaders would have the opportunity to meet and that discussions on planning were still in the early stages.
The spirit of cooperation between the three countries will live on even after Biden and Kishida leave office, the official told reporters on condition of anonymity.
“The three main actors who established the Camp David framework of cooperation will not remain in their roles forever,” he said.