Tri-CHOD Meeting Held in Seoul: "Security Cooperation Firmly Established"

The Republic of Korea, the United States, and Japan held the Tri-Chiefs of Defense (Tri-CHOD) meeting in Seoul on July 11. Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Kim Myungsoo stated, "The fact that the meeting is being held in Korea as part of a rotational system among the three countries itself demonstrates to the Indo-Pacific region and the world that security cooperation among South Korea, the United States, and Japan is being firmly established."

Chairman Kim, U.S. Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Dan Cane, and Japan’s Chief of Staff, Joint Staff Yoshida Yoshihide attended the Tri-CHOD meeting held at the Joint Chiefs of Staff headquarters in Yongsan-gu, Seoul, on the morning of July 11. This is the first time that the South Korea-U.S.-Japan Joint Chiefs of Staff meeting has been held in Korea. During the meeting, the three chiefs evaluated the regional security environment, including North Korea’s military threats, and discussed ways to strengthen security cooperation.

Yonhap News Agency

In his opening remarks, Chairman Kim emphasized, "It is extremely important to maintain the momentum of trilateral security cooperation and ensure its continued development, especially as North Korea’s nuclear and missile threats intensify and security challenges persist in the region." He added, "I hope that today’s meeting will further strengthen security cooperation among the Republic of Korea, the United States, and Japan, and that it will develop in a future-oriented manner."

Chairman Kim also noted, "In particular, the fact that Japan’s Chief of Staff, Joint Staff, is visiting Korea for the first time in 15 years on the occasion of this meeting can be seen as evidence that trilateral security cooperation among South Korea, the United States, and Japan has become much more mature and robust than before."