Biden To Hold Trilateral Summit With South Korean Leader, Japan

The photo archive - United States President Joe Biden arrived at the location of the G20 Summit in Nusa Dua, Bali, Tuesday (15/11/2022). (ANTARA PHOTO/Media Center G20 Indonesia/Akbar Nugroho Gumay/nym.)

JAKARTA - United States (US) President Joe Biden will hold a three-way summit with South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol and Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida in Washington next month, the White House said.

The trilateral summit will be held at Camp David on August 18.

"At the summit, leaders will celebrate a new chapter of their trilateral relationship and reaffirm the strong ties of friendship and alliance between the US and Japan, as well as the US and the Republic of Korea," White House spokeswoman Karine Jean-Pierre said in a press release, referring to South Korea's official name as reported by ANTARA from Yonhap-OANA, Saturday, July 29.

The South Korean presidential office also confirmed that the trilateral summit will be held at Camp David on August 18.

"This summit will be an important opportunity to increase cooperation among the three countries that have the same basic values to a new level," presidential spokesman Lee Do-woon said in a written press briefing.

"We hope that the three countries can jointly strengthen the international order based on the rules and make a more active contribution to regional and global economic security and prosperity," he continued.

Regarding the summit's agenda, the spokesman said the three leaders would hold in-depth discussions on policy coordination regarding the threat of North Korea's nuclear and missile (North Korea), as well as cooperation on economic security and major regional and global issues.

The proposed summit will be the first trilateral summit to be held separately after previously leaders of the three countries held only similar summits on the sidelines of other gatherings, such as regional meetings, officials in Seoul said.

John Kirby, coordinator of the National Security Council for US strategic communications, said the summit would also mark the first visit to Camp David by a foreign leader since 2015.

"At the summit, leaders will celebrate a new chapter of their trilateral relationship, and they will reaffirm a strong bond of friendship," Kirby said at a telephone press conference.

In particular, the leaders will discuss the threat posed by North Korea's growing nuclear and missile programs, Jean-Pierre said.

"The three leaders will discuss the expansion of trilateral cooperation across the Indo-Pacific and its surroundings - including overcoming the ongoing threat posed by the DPRK and strengthening relations with ASEAN and the Pacific Islands," a White House spokesman said, referring to North Korea's official name, the Democratic People's Republic of Korea.

"The summit will advance its joint trilateral vision to address global and regional security challenges, promote rules-based international order and strengthen economic prosperity," he added.

North Korea has carried out 69 unprecedented ballistic missile launches in 2022, marking a new record for the number of ballistic missiles fired in a year.

Pyongyang also launched an intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM) at the end of May, marking the 12th ICBM test since early last year.