Diplomacy Journal Lee Jon-young

President Yoon Suk-yeol, U.S. President Joe Biden, and Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida adopted a joint statement on Aug. 18, saying, “We have an unwavering belief that cooperation between the Republic of Korea, the United States, and Japan is indispensable to respond to today's challenges and will lay the foundation for a prosperous future.” 

It comes a year after the three leaders held a trilateral summit at Camp David, U.S., on Aug. 18 last year and pledged to strengthen cooperation in areas such as security and economics.

“We are committed to maintaining peace and stability in the Indo-Pacific region, and we stand ready to confront the world's greatest challenges while continuing our solidarity in our shared vision,” the leaders said in the statement. 

“The principles we established at Camp David continue to serve as a roadmap for unprecedented cooperation, and we will honor our commitments to our consultations,” they added.

They hailed the achievements of their trilateral security cooperation since their historic Camp David summit a year ago and vowed to bolster their ties across a broad range of areas.

"We are working together to achieve our shared goals of advancing security and prosperity for the region and the world," the statement said. "We stand by our commitment to consult on regional challenges, provocations, and threats affecting our collective interests and security."

The leaders highlighted key accomplishments in security areas, including the launch of the trilateral multi-domain exercise Freedom Edge in June and the signing of a new Trilateral Security Cooperation Framework last month.

They also recognized the efforts of a trilateral working group in disrupting North Korea's funding of weapons of mass destruction programs through cybercrime and other illicit means.

"We are resolved to maintain peace and stability in the Indo-Pacific, remain aligned in our shared vision, and stand ready to meet the world's greatest challenges," the statement said.

Seoul has beefed up security cooperation with Washington and Tokyo to bolster deterrence against North Korea's advancing nuclear and missile programs, as well as its growing military cooperation with Russia following the signing of a mutual defense pact in June.

North Korea has accused the Biden administration of a hostile policy toward Pyongyang. Pyongyang's state media warned South Korea and Japan's building of closer ties with Washington would risk turning their people into "cannon fodder" in the event of a nuclear attack.

The trilateral joint statement came ahead of the annual Ulchi Freedom Shield exercise between South Korea and the U.S., set to begin Aug. 19.