South Korea, Japan urge security cooperation in dealing with ‘provocative’ North

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South Korea, Japan urge security cooperation in dealing with ‘provocative’ North

Published: 08 Dec. 2023, 17:37 Updated: 08 Dec. 2023, 21:32

SARAH KIM
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Korean National Security Adviser Cho Tae-yong, right, poses for a photo with Japanese National Security Secretariat Secretary General Akiba Takeo at the Yongsan presidential office in central Seoul ahead of bilateral talks Friday. They will hold a trilateral meeting with U.S. National Security Adviser Jake Sullivan on Saturday. [PRESIDENTIAL OFFICE]

South Korean National Security Adviser Cho Tae-yong and his Japanese counterpart, Takeo Akiba, stressed that Pyongyang's "unprecedented provocations" pose a serious threat to peace and stability to the region and the international community on Friday.

The two security chiefs reaffirmed the need for cooperation among South Korea, the United States and Japan to "strengthen solidarity with the international community and sternly respond to North Korea's nuclear and missile provocations," the presidential office said in a statement.

The bilateral talks come ahead of a trilateral meeting of the national security advisers of South Korea, the United States and Japan in Seoul on Saturday to discuss cooperation on North Korea, among other regional and global issues.

Cho and Akiba also exchanged views on Korea-Japan relations and other regional and global issues.

They noted the progress of exchanges between the two countries at all levels, including through seven leaders' summits this year, and said they will continue to engage in close communication "so that the people of both countries can experience the benefits in various fields, including security, economy and people-to-people exchanges," the office added. They recognized each other as "key partners who share values" and agreed to continue to "communicate and cooperate for peace and stability in the region and the international community."

Cho alsol held separate bilateral talks with U.S. National Security Adviser Jake Sullivan.

Korean National Security Adviser Cho Tae-yong, right, poses for a photo with U.S. National Security Adviser Jake Sullivan at the Yongsan presidential office in central Seoul Friday. [PRESIDENTIAL OFFICE]

The trilateral security meeting is in keeping with an agreement reached by President Yoon Suk Yeol, U.S. President Joe Biden and Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida during their historic Camp David summit in August to strengthen three-way coordination. This trilateral summit came about after Yoon and Kishida earlier in the year normalized bilateral relations frayed by ongoing historical disputes and a trade spat.

"This is an extension of their agreement to expand discussions on a wide range of issues, including economic security, cutting-edge technology, cyber and future generation exchanges, and to elaborate on each area through that dialogue," said a senior presidential official on Thursday.

Last month, North Korea launched its first spy satellite after two failed attempts earlier this year, a moved condemned by Seoul, Washington and Tokyo for violating multiple UN Security Council resolutions which ban Pyongyang from the use of ballistic missile technology.

Analysts suspect that North Korea received technology assistance from Russia in exchange for some form of an arms deal between the two countries amid the ongoing Russian war in Ukraine.

John Kirby, the White House national security spokesman, said in a press briefing in Washington Wednesday that the three countries' security advisers would discuss regional issues of mutual concern, "particularly in the security environment" as they seek to build on their leaders' Camp David agreement to "deepen trilateral cooperation."

Regarding reports of North Korea's recent shipments of thousands of containers to Russia, Kirby said the White House has raised its concerns "about North Korea providing artillery shells, for instance, to the Russian military, and making it easier for them to kill Ukrainians."

Later Saturday, Cho and Sullivan will jointly preside over the inaugural session of the Next Generation Critical and Emerging Technologies Dialogue to discuss in-depth cooperation between the two countries in semiconductors, batteries, clean energy, quantum, biotechnology and AI.

This dialogue was established by Yoon and Biden during their bilateral summit in April in Washington, during the Korean president's state visit to the United States to mark the 70th anniversary of the bilateral alliance.

The senior presidential official told reporters in Seoul Thursday that South Korea is pushing to host a trilateral summit with the United States and Japan next year as a follow up to the Camp David summit.

He noted that the three leaders said they would like to "meet at least once a year at any given opportunity," and that "Korea is seeking to invite the leaders of Japan and the United States to hold a trilateral summit" here.

BY SARAH KIM [[email protected]]