Prospects for Support and Solidarity with the '8·15 Unification Doctrine'
President Yoon Suk-yeol delivers a congratulatory speech at the 79th Liberation Day Celebration held at the Sejong Center for the Performing Arts in Jongno-gu, Seoul on the 15th. [Image source=Yonhap News]
On the 18th, the leaders of South Korea, the United States, and Japan will issue a joint statement to mark the first anniversary of the 'Camp David Summit.' This is intended to signal that the three countries will continue their cooperation despite upcoming leadership changes, including the U.S. presidential election and the Liberal Democratic Party leadership election in Japan.
A senior official from the Presidential Office stated on the 17th, "We are preparing a trilateral joint statement that includes the purpose of establishing the Camp David cooperation framework, the achievements over the past year, and future cooperation concerns."
The leaders of South Korea, the U.S., and Japan are expected to commemorate the first anniversary of Camp David in the statement and explore ways to sustainably maintain the trilateral cooperation framework. President Yoon Suk-yeol, U.S. President Joe Biden, and Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida held a summit at the U.S. presidential retreat, Camp David, on August 18 last year, agreeing to strengthen security and economic cooperation among the three countries.
The U.S. and Japanese leaders are also expected to express their support and solidarity for President Yoon’s newly announced '8.15 Unification Doctrine' on the occasion of the 79th Liberation Day.
Kim Tae-hyo, First Deputy Director of the National Security Office at the Presidential Office, said on KBS News the previous day, "The leaders of South Korea, the U.S., and Japan, as well as their governments, are preparing congratulatory messages." Kim explained, "Since there was a declaration at Camp David supporting a free and peaceful unification of the Korean Peninsula and nurturing it together, I believe the 8.15 Doctrine and the first anniversary of Camp David are closely connected."
Diplomatic circles foresee the possibility of a trilateral summit coinciding with the international multilateral meetings in October, where the leaders of the three countries will gather in one place.
A Presidential Office official said, "The timing and whether the summit will be held are still under discussion," adding, "At present, no concrete discussions have taken place."
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