US, South Korean, and Japanese Security Advisers to Discuss North Korea

(Patria) - National security advisers from the United States, South Korea, and Japan will meet on Friday and Saturday in Seoul to discuss North Korea and other global issues to strengthen trilateral cooperation, the South Korean presidential office announced, Reuters reports.

South Korea's National Security Adviser Cho Tae-yong will hold bilateral talks with
White House representative Jake Sullivan and Japan's Takeo Akiba on Friday, followed by a trilateral meeting on Saturday, the statement said.

The meetings come after the three countries condemned North Korea's launch of its first reconnaissance satellite last month for violating multiple UN Security Council resolutions. Pyongyang rejected the criticism, saying the move would improve its ability to monitor the military activities of the United States and its allies.

The dispute has undermined an inter-Korean military agreement designed to curb the risk of accidental conflicts between the two Korean states, which are technically still at war.

White House National Security Spokesperson John Kirby said on Wednesday that the advisers would discuss regional issues of common interest, "particularly in the security environment," as they seek to build on their leaders' agreement at Camp David to deepen cooperation.

South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol has prioritized repairing ties with Japan since taking office in May 2022 and restoring trilateral security cooperation with the United States, as North Korea escalates its weapons programs and openly threatens Seoul.

The United States and South Korea will also hold a separate meeting on Saturday to
discuss expanding cooperation in advanced technologies such as chips, batteries, clean energy, and artificial intelligence, Yoon's office said.