Trilateral Security Talks Held by South Korea, the U.S., and Japan... Table-Top Exercise Resumed After 5 Years

"Maintaining the Momentum of Trilateral Security Cooperation"

The Ministry of National Defense announced on April 24 that South Korea, the United States, and Japan held the Defense Trilateral Talks (DTT) Table-Top Exercise (TTX) and working-level meetings at the Ministry of National Defense building in Yongsan-gu, Seoul, from April 22 to 23.

The DTT is a vice-ministerial-level security meeting among the defense authorities of South Korea, the United States, and Japan, with the Director General for Policy of the Ministry of National Defense from South Korea, the Deputy Assistant Secretary of Defense for Indo-Pacific Security Affairs from the United States, and the Director General for Defense Policy from Japan participating. The DTT working-level meeting, held prior to the main session, provides an opportunity to discuss key agenda items. This time, the Deputy Director General for International Policy from the Ministry of National Defense of South Korea, the Senior Director for East Asia from the U.S. Department of Defense, and the Director of the Japan-U.S. Defense Cooperation Division from the Japanese Ministry of Defense participated as representatives.

Notably, the three countries resumed the TTX for the first time in five years since 2020, in accordance with the agreement reached at the trilateral defense ministers' meeting during the Asia Security Summit (commonly known as the "Shangri-La Dialogue") in June last year. This is the first time the exercise has been held outside of the United States. Defense and diplomatic officials from South Korea, the United States, and Japan gathered to discuss response measures based on a hypothetical scenario.

Details were not disclosed in accordance with the agreement among the three countries.

The Ministry of National Defense stated, "South Korea, the United States, and Japan have agreed to continue maintaining the momentum of trilateral security cooperation," adding, "This demonstrates that trilateral security cooperation among South Korea, the United States, and Japan remains steadfast even under the second administration of U.S. President Donald Trump."