US, South Korea, Japan hold Defense Trilateral Talks to deepen security ties

Asia-Pacific, News, US April 16, 2023 , by IRIA No Comments

Assistant Secretary of the U.S. Defense for Indo-Pacific Security Affairs Ely Ratner met with Japanese Director General for Defense Policy Masuda Kazuo, and South Korea’s Deputy Minister for National Defense Policy Heo Tae-keun on April 14, 2023, to conduct the 13th session of Defense Trilateral Talks in Washington.

The senior defense officials exchanged assessments of the security environment on the Korean Peninsula and broader region and consulted on concrete ways to deepen U.S.-Japan-South Korean security cooperation. The allies also condemned ‘in the strongest terms’ Pyongyang’s latest weapons test, and urge for an end to ‘destabilization’ in the region.

The joint statement released by the U.S. Department of Defense said that the three defense officials confirmed that each side would remain vigilant and enhance trilateral security cooperation to deter North Korea’s nuclear and missile threats and to strengthen peace and stability on the Korean Peninsula and in the Indo-Pacific region.

During the trilateral meeting, South Korea, the United States, and Japan also agreed to hold missile defense and anti-submarine drills regularly to counter growing North Korean threats. “They condemned in the strongest terms the DPRK’s repeated violations of United Nations Security Council resolutions (UNSCRs), including its continuous nuclear and missile provocations,” the statement added.

The statement further read “The representatives exchanged assessments of the security environment on the Korean Peninsula and broader region, and they consulted on concrete ways to deepen U.S.-Japan-ROK security cooperation.”

*^{Defense officials of the U.S., South Korea, and Japan during the 13th Defense Trilateral Talks. (Image Credit: Twitter/@ASD_IndoPacific)}*

The three defense officials also discussed the “regularization of missile defense exercises and anti-submarine exercises to deter and respond to DPRK’s nuclear and missile threats” and agreed to resume trilateral exercises, including maritime interdiction and anti-piracy exercises, in order to maintain peace and stability in the region.

During the meeting, the officials of the U.S., South Korea, and Japan also emphasized the importance of peace and stability across the Taiwan Strait. They reaffirmed the need to stand with Ukraine against Russia’s unprovoked and brutal war of aggression and recognized that it is a serious violation of territorial integrity and sovereignty which undermines the fabric of the entire international order.

The 12th Defense Trilateral Talks session was held in 2020. Since then, the three countries failed to coordinate on the 13th session due to the COVID-19 pandemic as well as historical tensions between Seoul and Tokyo. In the face of the increasing threat from Pyongyang, South Korea, and Japan have grown closer to the U.S. and each other.

Earlier on April 12, 2023, the U.S. Department of Defense and the South Korean Ministry of National Defense held a bilateral integrated defense dialogue. During the dialogues, both sides reaffirmed the shared goal of the complete and verifiable denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula.

*^{U.S. and South Korean flags wave before a joint river-crossing drill between the allied nations in Yeoju, South Korea, on Oct. 19, 2022. (Image Credit: Lee Jin-man/AP)}*

The U.S. and South Korea also pledged that the Alliance would continue to strengthen the combined defense posture and capabilities to defend South Korea as well as deter conflict on the Peninsula. Both sides acknowledged that North Korea continues to diversify its delivery systems and advance its nuclear capability following unprecedented missile testing in 2022 and continued provocations in 2023.

U.S. and South Korea also reiterated the need to strengthen combined exercises and training and recognized the importance of returning to large-scale field exercises. During the talks, the two sides also assessed the Freedom Shield 23 exercise, which was held in March of this year, and showcased readiness and capabilities.