SEOUL: The leaders of South Korea, Japan and the United States issued a joint statement on Sunday marking the anniversary of their summit at Camp David and reaffirmed a pledge to jointly tackle regional challenges, South Korea’s presidential office said.

The principles on trilateral cooperation established at the summit last year continues to serve as a roadmap for the three countries’ cooperation, the statement issued by South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol’s office said.

“We stand by our commitment to consult on regional challenges, provocations and threats affecting our collective interests and security,” it said.

U.S. President Joe Biden, Japanese Prime Minister KISHIDA Fumio and Yoon met on Aug. 18 and agreed to deepen military and economic cooperation and take a united stand against China’s growing power and security threats from North Korea.

South Korean media said the leaders plan to meet again this year, citing unnamed sources, but said it was not yet clear when, especially since Kishida has announced he would be stepping down. 

A senior South Korean presidential official said there will be two or three occasions where the three leaders will have the chance to meet and discussions over planning are still in early stages.

The spirit of cooperation among the three countries will live on even after Biden and Kishida leave office, the official told reporters on the condition of anonymity.

“The three main actors who established the Camp David framework of cooperation won’t be in their roles forever,” he said. 

Reuters