U.S. Senate proposes resolution to ‘strengthen trilateral cooperation between Korea, the U.S. and Japan’

A resolution was proposed in the U.S. Senate emphasizing the importance of cooperation between Korea, the United States, and Japan.  Lawmakers noted that South Korea, the United States and Japan have strengthened cooperation, improving deterrence and defense capabilities against North Korea's growing security threats. Reporter Jamin Anderson reports.

Eight U.S. senators proposed a bipartisan resolution encouraging strengthening trilateral cooperation between Korea, the United States, and Japan.

Representative Dan Sullivan (Republican, Alaska), co-chair of the 'Korea Caucus', a bipartisan group that focuses on Korean issues in the Senate, introduced the motion, followed by Representative Chris Van Hollen (Democratic Party, Maryland) and Representative Bill Hagerty (Republican, Tennessee). ), Rep. Tammy Duckworth (Democratic Party, Illinois), and others participated in the joint motion.

Co-sponsor U.S. Senator Todd Young (Republican, Indiana) issued a statement on the 26th and said, “It is built on ongoing efforts to strengthen the Korea-U.S.-Japan alliance to ensure a free and open Indo-Pacific region.”

Representative Chris Van Hollen, chairman of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee's East Asia and Pacific Subcommittee, told Radio Free Asia (RFA) on the 1st, "In the face of global challenges such as the devastating increase in North Korea's illicit weapons program, our (Korea-U.S.-Japan) close partnership is more important than ever. “It’s important,” he emphasized.

Representative Van Hollen also supported strengthening cooperation between Korea, the United States, and Japan, saying, “We must continue to work together to serve as a stabilizing influence for greater peace, democracy, prosperity, and security in East Asia and beyond.”

This resolution, proposed on the 8th of last month and referred to the Foreign Affairs Committee, particularly emphasized that the recent improvement in Korea-Japan relations has led to strengthened cooperation between Korea, the United States, and Japan.

The resolution said, “The Senate highly values ​​the outstanding leadership of South Korean President Yoon Seok-yeol and Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida, who have taken the lead in restoring bilateral relations,” and calls for greater cooperation between Korea and Japan and trilateral cooperation across the fields of diplomacy, economy, security, and intelligence. Collaboration was encouraged.

At the same time, at the trilateral summit held at Camp David in the U.S. last year, South Korea, the United States, and Japan announced a tripartite commitment to consult with each other in a prompt manner to “coordinate responses to regional challenges, provocations, and threats that affect collective interests and security.” He pointed out, “I did it.”

In particular, on the North Korean issue, it was evaluated that the sharing of real-time missile warning information and the expansion and development of multi-year trilateral military training to specifically respond to North Korea's missile launches have improved deterrence and defense capabilities against North Korea's increasing security threats.

Regarding the proposal of this resolution, Patrick Cronin, the Hudson Institute's Asia-Pacific Security Chair, analyzed to Radio Free Asia (RFA) on the 1st, "The U.S. Congress recognizes the essential value of trilateral cooperation."

“We cannot stop North Korea’s nuclear weapons, China’s assertiveness, or Russia’s use of force, but we can provide regional and global economic, diplomatic, and security leadership by promoting practical cooperation among like-minded countries.” He explained.

He added, “The fact that President Yoon Seok-yeol emphasized on the 1st (at the March 1st Memorial Ceremony) that we are in a new era clearly shows how deep the political will of Korea, the United States, and Japan is to fulfill the promises of the Camp David Agreement.”

Meanwhile, South Korean Foreign Minister Cho Tae-yeol, who visited the United States for the first time since taking office, held the first ROK-US foreign ministers' meeting with U.S. Secretary of State Tony Blinken and discussed ways to strengthen cooperation against North Korea.

The two ministers agreed on the need to accelerate the Nuclear Consultative Group (NCG) consultations within a solid joint defense posture, and decided to join forces to strengthen the implementation of extended deterrence.

In addition, we believe that North Korea may launch provocations targeting the South Korean general election in April and the U.S. presidential election in November, and we decided to cooperate closely to respond thoroughly, and to take follow-up measures for trilateral cooperation between Korea, the United States, and Japan, which was institutionalized following the Camp David Summit. We decided to actively implement it.