Yoon warns North Korea against plans to launch spy satellite in trilateral summit with Japan, China

President Yoon Suk Yeol, center, speaks during a joint press briefing after holding a trilateral summit with Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida, left, and Chinese Primer Li Qiang, right, at the Blue House in central Seoul on Monday. [JOINT PRESS CORPS]

President Yoon Suk Yeol sternly warned against North Korea's plan to launch a spy satellite during a trilateral meeting with Japan and China in Seoul on Monday.

Yoon, Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida and Chinese Premier Li Qiang held a trilateral summit, the ninth of its kind, at the Blue House in central Seoul, the first such gathering since late 2019.

Just hours ahead of the South Korea-Japan-China summit, North Korea announced plans to launch a space rocket carrying a purported military reconnaissance satellite by June 4.

"Any launch using ballistic missile technology directly violates UN Security Council resolutions and undermines regional and global peace and stability," Yoon said in his opening remarks at the trilateral meeting. "If North Korea carries out a launch despite warnings from the international community, I believe the international community must respond sternly."

Kishida also echoed similar views in the meeting, calling on Pyongyang to "cease" such activities that violate Security Council resolutions in his opening remarks.

This marks the first three-way summit in four years and five months, after the last gathering in Chengdu, China, in December 2019. The trilateral summit between the Northeast Asian countries was first launched in December 2008. The meeting went on hiatus due to the Covid-19 pandemic and strained relations between Seoul and Tokyo over historical disputes.

"I hope that today's meeting will become a historic milestone that promises a new start and leap forward in our trilateral cooperation," Yoon said.

Yoon expressed his hopes that the three countries could "work together to respond to global challenges" and for the countries serving as members of the UN Security Council this year to "pool their wisdom and strength in the face of complex global crises and geopolitical conflicts and contribute to the peace and prosperity of the international community."

Harkening to the 1997 Asian financial crisis, which led to the creation of the trilateral cooperation mechanism, Yoon stressed, "I believe that the various challenges we face today at the global level in the region can also be transformed into new opportunities to promote communication and expand the horizons of cooperation among our three countries."

The meeting comes as the three Northeast Asian countries seek to normalize relations and seek cooperation in areas they can, including economy and trade, health and people-to-people exchanges, amid complex geopolitical circumstances.

"This year marks the 25th anniversary of trilateral cooperation, so I think this gathering for the first time in four years and five months is even more meaningful," Yoon said. "More than anything else, the driving force behind our trilateral cooperation is the support of our people. Therefore, we must strive to improve the health, safety, living standards and quality of life of our people through cooperation among our three countries."

He called to pursue a "practical cooperation plan that the people of the three countries can feel first hand" and to "create an environment where future generations, who will play a leading role in trilateral cooperation in the future, can interact actively with open minds."

The three leaders held a joint press brief and issued a joint declaration afterward. They also attended a business summit.

BY SARAH KIM [kim.sarah@joongang.co.kr]