Biden to host trilateral summit with S.Korean, Japanese leaders in Aug: WH

Washington/Seoul, July 29 (IANS) US President Joe Biden will host a trilateral summit with his South Korean counterpart Yoon Suk Yeol and Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida in Washington on August 18, the White House said.

"At the summit (in Camp David), the leaders will celebrate a new chapter in their trilateral relationship as they reaffirm their strong bonds of friendship and the ironclad alliances between the US and Japan, and the US and the Republic of Korea," Yonhap News Agency quoted White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre as saying in a statement on Friday, referring to South Korea by its official name.

The leaders will mainly discuss threats posed by North Korea's evolving nuclear and missile programs, according to Jean-Pierre.

"The three leaders will discuss expanding trilateral cooperation across the Indo-Pacific and beyond -- including to address the continued threat posed by the DPRK and to strengthen ties with ASEAN and the Pacific Islands," the White House spokesperson said, referring to North Korea by its official name, the Democratic People's Republic of Korea.

Also confirming the development, spokesperson of the South Korean presidential office Lee Do-woon said: "This summit will be an important opportunity to elevate the cooperation among the three countries that share core values to a new level. We expect the three nations to enhance the rules-based international order together and to make more active contributions to regional and global security and economic prosperity."

As for the summit's agenda, the spokesperson said the three leaders will hold in-depth discussions on policy coordination regarding the North Korean nuclear and missile threats, as well as cooperation on economic security and other major regional and global issues.

The proposed summit will be the first stand-alone trilateral summit to be held as the leaders of the US, South Korea and Japan have only held trilateral summits on the sidelines of other gatherings, such as regional meetings, in the past, according to Seoul officials.

John Kirby, National Security Council coordinator for strategic communications, said the summit will also mark the first visit to Camp David by a foreign leader since 2015.

"At the summit, the leaders will celebrate a new chapter in their trilateral relationship, and they will reaffirm strong bonds of friendship," Kirby said at a press briefing.