National security advisers of US, South Korea and Japan will meet to discuss North Korean threat
The national security advisers of the United States, South Korea and Japan will meet this week in Seoul to discuss North Korea's military threat and other issues as they continue to advance trilateral cooperation in Asia.
By means ofThe Associated Press
December 6, 2023, 10:53 PM
FILE – This photo provided by the North Korean government shows what the country is saying about the launch of the Malligyong-1, a military spy satellite, into orbit on November 21, 2023. Independent journalists were denied access to report of the event depicted in this image distributed by the North Korean government. The contents of this image are as supplied and cannot be independently verified. The Korean watermark on the image, as provided by the source, reads: “KCNA”, the abbreviation for Korean Central News Agency. (Korean Central News Agency/Korea News Service via AP, File)
The Associated Press
Seoul, South Korea — The national security advisers of the United States, South Korea and Japan will meet in Seoul this week to discuss North Korea's growing military threat and other regional security issues as they continue to advance trilateral cooperation in Asia.
South Korea's presidential office said National Security Bureau Director Cho Tae-yong will host a three-way meeting in Seoul on Saturday with US National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan and Japan's National Security Secretariat Secretary-General Takeo Akiba. for in-depth discussions about North Korea. Korea and other matters related to security, technology and trade. Cho will also hold bilateral meetings with Sullivan and Akiba on Friday.
White House National Security Council spokesman John Kirby said the meetings will be driven by a “robust agenda of discussions on regional issues of mutual concern, especially security issues,” as the countries continue to build on an August summit between their leaders at Camp David. , where they pledged to deepen three-way security and economic cooperation.
The Japanese prime minister's office said discussions on North Korea will include the recent launch of its first military reconnaissance satellite, a device that North Korean leader Kim Jong Un describes as crucial for monitoring U.S. and South Korean military moves and increasing the threat of its nuclear activities. capable missiles.
There are also broader concerns about a possible arms coordination between North Korea and Russia, with the North providing much-needed ammunition to fuel Russian President Vladimir Putin's war against Ukraine in return for possible Russian technological help to advance Kim's nuclear-armed military to assist.
South Korean intelligence officials have said the Russians likely provided technological support for North Korea's successful satellite launch in November, which followed two failed launches. Many outside experts question whether the North's satellite is advanced enough to transmit high-resolution, militarily useful images.
Both Pyongyang and Moscow have denied US and South Korean claims that the North has shipped artillery shells and other weapons supplies to Russia in recent months.
