SEOUL: South Korean, US and Japanese leaders will meet in August in America, Seoul’s presidential office said on Thursday (Jul 20), as the three nations increase military cooperation to counter North Korea’s growing nuclear threats.
Relations between Pyongyang and Seoul are at one of their lowest points, with diplomacy stalled and North Korean leader Kim Jong Un calling for increased weapons development, including tactical nukes.
In response, President Yoon Suk-yeol has pulled South Korea closer to long-standing ally Washington and sought to bury the hatchet with former colonial power Japan in a bid to contain North Korea.
In April, Seoul and Washington said that if Pyongyang ever used its nuclear weapons against the allies, it would face a nuclear reaction and the “end” of its regime.
“The Korea-US-Japan trilateral summit is scheduled to be held in the United States in August,” Seoul’s presidential office said on Thursday, adding the specific date and location would be “announced later”.
The Yonhap News Agency reported the meeting will take place on Aug 18 at Camp David near Washington, citing unnamed sources.
US Special Representative for North Korea Sung-kim told reporters in Japan on Thursday that the talks would be held next month, without mentioning the date or location.
He made the comment before meeting with his Japanese and South Korean counterparts in the resort town of Karuizawa, where the envoys condemned North Korea’s recent ballistic missile launches.
For all the latest world News Click Here
