"Encouraging the Implementation Process of Camp David Cooperation"
President Yoon Suk-yeol, U.S. President Joe Biden, and Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida issued a joint statement on the 18th to commemorate the first anniversary of the trilateral summit held at Camp David in 2023.The photo shows President Yoon, President Biden, and Prime Minister Kishida walking together along a path for the joint press conference of the three leaders at Camp David, the U.S. presidential retreat near Washington, D.C., on August 18, 2023 (local time). [Image source=Yonhap News] Photo by Yonhap News
The Presidential Office stated on the 18th that despite leadership changes in the United States and Japan, the trilateral support among South Korea, the U.S., and Japan for the 'Camp David Summit' agreement from last year remains firm.
A Presidential Office official met with reporters at the Yongsan Presidential Office that afternoon and said, "There was the U.S. presidential election, and Japan's Liberal Democratic Party leadership election is next month, so the three key figures who established Camp David cannot remain in their positions forever."
The official emphasized, "Nevertheless, President Yoon Suk-yeol is expected to continue maintaining friendship and camaraderie with U.S. President Joe Biden while encouraging the implementation process of Camp David cooperation."
He continued, "The same applies to Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida," adding, "Both the political and public spheres in Japan and the U.S., regardless of party lines, highly value the importance of the ROK-U.S. alliance, ROK-Japan relations, and the significance of Camp David, so support for Camp David can be considered steadfast."
Furthermore, the Presidential Office hinted at the possibility of a trilateral summit among South Korea, the U.S., and Japan being held within this year.
The official stated, "There were two trilateral summits last year, but considering the political situations in the three countries this year, they have not yet been held," and added, "We expect opportunities for the three leaders to meet during two or three international conferences in the second half of the year."
He further explained, "There is a shared hope that the trilateral summit will be held at least once this year, but discussions on the specific timing are still in the early stages."
Multilateral summits scheduled for the second half of this year include the United Nations General Assembly in New York in September, the ROK-ASEAN Summit in Laos in early October, and the APEC Summit and G20 Summit held in Peru and Brazil respectively in November.
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