Anchor: South Korea, the United States and Japan on Friday stressed the importance of bolstering trilateral cooperation to address security challenges posed by North Korea and China, as well as the evolving situation in the Indo-Pacific region. The top brass from all three countries met on these issues and discussed future efforts at their first face-to-face in Seoul.
Curtis Carney reports.

Reporter: Adm. Kim Myung-soo, the chairman of South Korea’s Joint Chiefs of Staff, stood with his U.S. and Japanese counterparts on either side as all three military leaders posed for a photo — hands clasped in a show of solidarity.

Kim sat down on Friday with Gen. John Daniel Caine of the U.S. and Gen. Yoshihide Yoshida of Japan at the Trilateral Chiefs of Defense Meeting in Seoul to evaluate the current security environment and discuss ways to strengthen cooperation among the three countries.

[Sound bite: Adm. Kim Myung-soo (Korean-English)]
“The meeting, hosted by the Republic of Korea after being hosted by the U.S. and Japan on a rotating basis, demonstrates the durability of our trilateral security cooperation to the Indo-Pacific region and to the world.”

In their first three-way discussion, Kim stressed the importance of continuing the joint efforts at a time when North Korea’s nuclear and missile threats are advancing amid existing regional challenges.

Caine concurred, saying their cooperation, including the trilateral Freedom Edge multidomain military exercise, will not only contribute to peace and security in the three countries but also around the world.

He said his country’s priority is to reestablish deterrence and stressed the importance of the three sides working together at a time when North Korea and China are carrying out an unprecedented level of military buildup with their own agendas.

[Sound bite: Gen. Dan Caine (English)]
“ … we need to be able to demonstrate resolve, to be entrepreneurial and proactive in our partnerships, to make sure that our leaders at every echelon understand and trust each other, and to take the best available combat capability and capacity between our three nations so that we can fight tonight, fight together and win together.”

Yoshida, meanwhile, emphasized the need to institutionalize the trilateral partnership so it is not affected by political factors, adding that they should also increase solidarity to strengthen deterrence against the North.

The conference is held regularly by the three countries to boost their joint response to military threats.

It is the first visit to South Korea in 15 years for a chief of the Japanese Joint Staff, signaling bolstered efforts by the countries to work together under the Lee Jae Myung administration.
Curtis Carney, KBS World Radio News.