Politics and security

A senior U.S. official emphasized that historic achievements such as joint security agreements and regularization of meetings will be made at the Korea-Japan summit. In particular, he said that consultations would become mandatory in the event of a situation affecting the security of the three countries. Reporter Jo Sang-jin reports.

US President Joe Biden, South Korean President Yoon Seok-yeol, and Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida will announce a series of trilateral statements and findings containing content to strengthen relations at a summit held at Camp David on the 18th, a senior US official said.

[미 정부 고위 당국자] “We will have a series of three way statements and deliverables that we will roll out. They are in every arena of engagement between our three countries education, technology, diplomacy, military. I think that the three leaders will commit that future leaders will meet on an annual basis. We’re going to take the steps to invest in the appropriate technology, to build a state of the art trilateral hotline that we can engage in moments of crisis and uncertainty. And all three leaders will take a pledge the, what we would call the duty to consult in the event of a crisis or a set of circumstances that affects the security of any one of our countries.”

A senior U.S. government official revealed this in an online briefing related to the Korea-Japan summit on the 17th and said, “This will cover all fields between the three countries, including education, technology, diplomacy, and military.”

In addition, he made it clear that “the leaders of the three countries will promise to meet every year, even future leaders,” making it clear that no matter which government in each country steps in, they will make it clear that the US-ROK-Japan summit will be held regularly.

“We will invest in appropriate technologies and take steps to establish a state-of-the-art trilateral hotline capable of engaging in moments of crisis and uncertainty,” he said.

In addition, he emphasized, “All three leaders will pledge their obligation to consult in the event of a crisis or a series of circumstances affecting the security of the three countries.”

He said the consultation commitments to be announced at the trilateral summit “will take the security and broader coordination of all of us to the next level in a fundamental way.”

[미 정부 고위당국자] “The commitment to consult that will come out of tomorrow’s summit is really all of us taking our security and broader coordination to the next level in a really fundamental way. What it seeks to acknowledge and build in its core is the fact that we do share a fundamentally interlinked security environment and that something that poses a threat to any one of us fundamentally poses a threat to all of that.”

“At the core of this commitment is the fact that we share a fundamentally interconnected security environment, and that what is a threat to any one of us is, by default, a threat to all others.”

However, it was drawn a line that this kind of pledge is not an official alliance pledge, and it is not a collective defense pledge like the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO · NATO).

[미 정부 고위당국자] “It is not a formal alliance commitment. It is not a collective defense commitment that is lifted from an early cold war security treaty. But what it very much is a commitment amongst our three countries that if there is a regional contingency or a threat, we will immediately and swiftly consult with one another. We will discuss ways to share information, to align our messaging, and to take policy actions in tandem with one another. We are clear that this commitment does not infringe upon any one of our countries right to defend itself under international law nor does it change or impinge in any way on the existing bilateral treaty commitments between the US and Japan, and the US and ROK.”

However, the official said, “It is a promise among the three countries to consult with each other immediately and promptly in the event of a regional contingency or threat. We will discuss how to share information, coordinate messages and work together to take policy action.” he emphasized.

“We make it clear that this commitment does not violate either country’s right to defense under international law and does not alter or affect in any way the existing bilateral treaties between the United States and Japan or between the United States and South Korea,” he added.

He stressed that such a security commitment would be a very important step in building a ‘habit’ of deeper cooperation in the future.

A senior U.S. government official also explained that the choice of Camp David, the vacation home of the U.S. president, as the venue for the summit was a very careful choice considering its important historical significance.

[미 정부 고위당국자] “Camp David was chosen quite carefully. I think there’s a recognition that that venue is reserved for only the most important and significant such meetings. Obviously previous sessions, including meeting with the president with Israeli and the Palestinian delegations, also at the end of the second world wars, had a number of different it’s hosted a number of different, very important meetings. I think we believe this is clearly at that level. I think our goal will be to lock in trilateral engagement that will make it difficult to backtrack from the commitments that each of the three will make at Camp David. And again, I think it’s nothing short of historic what’s been accomplished.”

Then, recalling that discussions were held at Camp David to declare an end to World War II and that an agreement was reached to normalize the Israeli-Palestinian conflict in the late 1970s, he emphasized, “I believe this summit is definitely at that level.”

The goal of this trilateral summit was “to solidify the trilateral engagement that makes it difficult to reverse the commitments made by the three leaders at Camp David,” he said.

A high-ranking US government official also highly praised the success of the trilateral summit, saying, “There was courageous diplomacy by Korean President Seok-yeol Yoon and corresponding efforts by Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida.”

[미 정부 고위당국자] “What we’ve seen over the course of the last several months is nothing short of courageous diplomacy on the part of president Yoon and matching efforts by prime minister Kishida. I do want to just underscore that it’s the rarest of things to observe this kind of leadership from prime minister kishida and president Yoon. And it needs to be acknowledged internationally because it is extraordinarily challenging and important to the steps that they have taken.”

In other words, the heads of state of the two countries made a bold decision for trilateral cooperation in the face of various objections from some within their own countries.

He emphasized that such leadership by the two leaders is very rare, and emphasized that “the steps they took are very challenging and important, so they need to be recognized internationally.”

Meanwhile, a senior U.S. government official pointed out that China’s opposition to the summit was rather aiding Russia’s illegal invasion of Ukraine and expanding its diplomatic and economic involvement.

At the same time, he refuted that the trilateral summit meeting between the United States, South Korea and Japan is a measure to strengthen regional security in response to North Korea’s continued provocations.

[미 정부 고위당국자] “I think we’ve also seen a series of military tests for years provocations on the part of North Korea. These tests are about perfecting certain military and nuclear capabilities that are deeply threatening to northeast Asia to Japan and South Korea. And so I think what you’re referring to these concerns are long standing and ongoing. And in many respects I would suggest that what you’re seeing in Japan, South Korea and the United States it is largely a response to security steps and measures that we believe are antithetical to our interests.”

It is pointed out that “North Korea’s tests are aimed at completing certain military and nuclear capabilities that pose a serious threat to Japan and South Korea in Northeast Asia.”

“In many respects, what you are seeing in Japan, South Korea and the United States are mostly security measures and responses that go against our interests,” he said.

The official also said that what the US government is pursuing is not simply to tie Japan and South Korea together.

“The United States’ Indo-Pacific strategy is to make it clear to everyone that the United States will continue to be stationed in the Indo-Pacific region,” he reiterated.

This is VOA News Cho Sang-jin.

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2023-08-18 09:00:42