Editorial: Trilateral summit promises stronger partnership
August 21 , 2023
On August 19, JST, U.S. President Joe Biden, Republic of Korea President Yoon Suk Yeol and Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida held a summit at Camp David, Maryland. Pledging to uphold the rule of law and promote international order in the face of a myriad of challenges to regional and global peace, the three leaders agreed to expand trilateral cooperation and raise their “shared ambition to a new horizon.”In addition to the ongoing conflict in Ukraine, the three expressed special concern over North Korea and its growing missile and nuclear weapons threats. While Pyongyang’s long-range missile capabilities have been well-documented, the latest threat is the development of a nuclear weapon small enough to be mounted on short-range tactical missiles designed specifically to hit targets in South Korea and Japan.
Confronted by an increasingly threatening security environment, the three nations must work closer together now more than ever. With a combined GDP exceeding some 30% of the entire world’s, the trilateral security partnership is backed by their economic weight, which can serve as an effective counter to belligerent action in the region.
The Camp David summit also resulted in the three nations agreeing to meet at least once a year as well as in the real-time sharing of missile warning data in response to North Korea missile launches, among other cooperative trilateral measures. They stand in marked contrast to the previous South Korean administration led by former President Moon Jae-in, which threatened to withdraw from a treaty to exchange military information with Japan (GSOMIA), and ex-US President Donald Trump’s musings to withdraw American forces stationed in South Korea.
Administrations may change but not the US-South Korea-Japan partnership—it must only grow stronger going forward.
