Yoon at Peru APEC Holds Korea-US-Japan Summit: "Institutionalizing Trilateral Cooperation is Important"

US White House "Discussing Cooperation Progress Even After Regime Change"

On August 18, 2023, President Yoon Suk-yeol, U.S. President Joe Biden, and Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida posed for a commemorative photo in front of Laurel Lodge ahead of the trilateral summit held at Camp David, the U.S. presidential retreat near Washington, DC. Photo by Yonhap News.

On the 15th (local time), President Yoon Suk-yeol will hold a summit meeting with U.S. President Joe Biden and Japanese Prime Minister Ishiba Shigeru. The leaders of Korea, the U.S., and Japan plan to confirm the importance of trilateral cooperation during this meeting and discuss ways to ensure that cooperation continues to advance even after the change of administration.

The Presidential Office announced on the 14th that the leaders of Korea, the U.S., and Japan will meet and hold a trilateral summit during the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) summit held in Lima, Peru.

Korea, the U.S., and Japan have been continuously discussing holding a trilateral summit before the end of President Biden’s term, and they decided to confirm their cooperation during the multilateral APEC meeting.

Previously, the leaders of Korea, the U.S., and Japan held a summit in August last year at Camp David, the presidential retreat near Washington D.C., USA.

The Presidential Office explained, "This meeting will be a summit involving President Yoon, outgoing President Biden, and newly inaugurated Prime Minister Ishiba," adding, "It is expected to be an occasion to reaffirm the importance of trilateral cooperation."

Jake Sullivan, U.S. National Security Advisor, said in a briefing on the 13th, "President Biden has significantly strengthened our strategic position in the Indo-Pacific region," mentioning trilateral cooperation among Korea, the U.S., and Japan, as well as security frameworks such as the U.S.-U.K.-Australia security pact (AUKUS) and the U.S.-Japan-Australia-India security dialogue (Quad).

Sullivan emphasized regarding trilateral cooperation among Korea, the U.S., and Japan, "President Biden will meet with President Yoon and Prime Minister Ishiba to commemorate historic trilateral cooperation and discuss the importance of institutionalizing the progress we have made so that cooperation can continue to advance even after the change of administration."