Korea-US-Japan Foreign Ministers’ Meeting Held in New York [Photo: Yonhap News]

Korea-US-Japan Foreign Ministers Meet in New York, Agree to Hold Trilateral Summit

The foreign ministers of South Korea, the United States, and Japan met in New York, USA on September 23 (local time) and agreed to make active efforts to hold a trilateral summit within the year.

The Ministry of Foreign Affairs announced that Minister of Foreign Affairs Cho Tae-yeol, who visited New York, USA to attend the UN General Assembly, held a trilateral foreign ministers’ meeting with U.S. Secretary of State Tony Blinken and Japanese Foreign Minister Yoko Kamikawa and reached this agreement.

The foreign ministers of the three countries also agreed to use the summit as an opportunity to announce the establishment of a Korea-US-Japan secretariat.

In addition, the three ministers expressed concern over North Korea’s recent disclosure of a uranium enrichment facility and an ICBM mobile launcher, as well as illegal military cooperation between North Korea and Russia, and agreed to work closely together to lead the international community to implement UN Security Council resolutions.

Minister Cho emphasized the significance of the meeting, saying, “It demonstrates our common determination to closely cooperate and resolutely respond to any provocation by North Korea.”

Secretary Blinken stated, “While Japan and the United States are going through political transitions, this trilateral cooperation will remain critical to the future we seek to build for all three countries, regardless of those changes.”

The Korea-US-Japan Foreign Ministers’ Meeting was held approximately seven months after the G20 Foreign Ministers’ Meeting was held in Brazil in February.