ALBAWABA - During the celebration of South Korea's liberation from Japan's 1910-45 colonial rule, President Yoon Suk Yeol said that the upcoming summit with the leaders of the United States and Japan will set a new milestone in trilateral cooperation in the face of North Korea's evolving nuclear and missile threats.
Yoon emphasized the importance of increasing security cooperation with Washington and Tokyo, including the use of reconnaissance assets and real-time data sharing on the North's nuclear weapons and missiles.
Yoon said: "The summit will set a new milestone in trilateral cooperation contributing to peace and prosperity on the Korean Peninsula and in the Indo-Pacific region,".
"Korea and Japan are now partners who share universal values and pursue common interests," Yoon said in his speech, vowing to increase security and economic exchanges.
Since taking office in May 2022, Yoon has been on a mission to mend relations with Tokyo, which have been strained by a series of feuds over compensation claims brought by victims of Japan's colonial authority.
Senior U.S. officials told Reuters that Yoon is set to join U.S. President Joe Biden and Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida at the Camp David presidential retreat in Maryland on Friday, where they will launch a series of joint initiatives on technology, education, and defense.
Washington has formal collective defense treaties with both Tokyo and Seoul, but it wants those two countries to cooperate more closely together in light of growing concerns about China's expanding power in the region.
Meanwhile, North Korean leader Kim Jong Un and Russian President Vladimir Putin exchanged letters on Tuesday pledging to develop ties into what Kim called a "long-standing strategic relationship," Pyongyang's state media KCNA said.
The US has accused North Korea of supplying Russia with weaponry for its war in Ukraine, including ordnance shells, shoulder-fired rockets, and missiles, yet both Pyongyang and Moscow have denied any arms deals.
