Warning to North Korea: Joint security summit held by three nations
Japan's Defense Minister Minoru Kihara, U.S. Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin, and South Korea's Defense Minister Shin Won-sik signed the Tripartite Security Cooperation Protocol at a security summit in Tokyo to enhance mutual security cooperation.
The summit, held in Tokyo, Japan, saw the defense leaders from Japan, the United States, and South Korea convene to discuss security matters. Following the summit, a written statement from the U.S. Department of Defense reiterated the parties' commitment to strengthening security cooperation. The statement expressed "serious concerns about the increasing military and economic cooperation between Russia and North Korea."
The statement also noted that the parties called on North Korea to halt its provocative actions, including ballistic missile tests. "The ministers strongly opposed unilateral attempts to change the status quo in the Indo-Pacific waters, and shared their concerns about actions contrary to international law as stipulated in the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS)," it read.
The signing of the Tripartite Security Cooperation Protocol (TSCF) was highlighted, outlining the framework for mutual security cooperation. This includes high-level policy consultations, information sharing, and trilateral exercises aimed at contributing to peace and stability on the Korean Peninsula, in the Indo-Pacific region, and beyond.
The ministers agreed to hold another trilateral security summit in South Korea next year.
