Seoul, Washington and Tokyo plan a triple summit in the United States next month

Seoul announced on Thursday that the leaders of South Korea, the United States, and Japan will meet in August in the United States as the three countries intensify military cooperation to address the escalating nuclear threats from North Korea.

The South Korean presidency stated that the "trilateral summit between Korea, the United States, and Japan will be held in the United States in August," adding that the specific date and location "will be announced later."

According to unnamed sources cited by Yonhap News Agency, the meeting is scheduled to take place on August 18 at Camp David near Washington.

This announcement comes days after Seoul and Washington held their first Nuclear Consultative Group meeting in the South Korean capital.

On Tuesday, a US nuclear-powered submarine docked in Busan, South Korea, for the first time since 1981.

Last week, Pyongyang announced that it had successfully conducted its second test of the Hwasong-18 missile, its new intercontinental ballistic missile powered by solid fuel.

Analysts consider these tests a significant advancement for North Korea's banned weapons programs.

Relations between Pyongyang and Seoul are at their lowest point, and diplomatic efforts between the two countries are at a standstill, while North Korean leader Kim Jong-un urges his military to continue developing weapons, including tactical nuclear weapons.

In response, South Korean President Moon Jae-in has sought closer ties with the long-standing ally, the United States, and attempted to bury the animosities with Japan, the former colonial power, in an effort to contain North Korea.

In April, Seoul and Washington announced that if Pyongyang were to use its nuclear weapons against their allies, it would face a nuclear response that would be the "end" of its regime.

This announcement also comes shortly after Washington confirmed on Tuesday that an American soldier, who had been detained in South Korea on assault charges, crossed the border into North Korea during a tourist trip to the demilitarized zone.

Washington speculated that Pyongyang had arrested its citizen, especially considering that the Stalinist regime has a history of detaining Americans for potential use as bargaining chips with the United States.

 

 

 

 

 

 

AFP