Talks underway to hold trilateral summit on May 21

South Korea, the United States, and Japan are reportedly in final discussions for their imminent trilateral summit slated for next month during the G7 summit meeting in Hiroshima, Japan. If the trilateral summit does take place, it would mark the first time in six months for the leaders of the three states to meet again since their last gathering in Cambodia in November last year.

According to the reports of The Dong-A Ilbo, the South Korean government is currently in talks with Tokyo and Washington regarding the timing of the summit, which is likely to take place before or after the G7 meeting that is slated for May 19 to 21. An official from the foreign affairs ministry of South Korea said the three countries are currently undergoing consultations, and the dates have yet to be fixed. Previously, the Japanese daily Yomiuri Shimbun had reported that the three allies are working towards holding the trilateral summit on May 21, the last day of the G7 meeting.

While South Korea is not a member of the G7, Japan has officially invited President Yoon Suk Yeol in the capacity of the summit. The White House also announced on Wednesday (local time) that President Joe Biden plans to attend the G7 summit.

The overtures of the trilateral summit are reportedly being led by the United States. The Yomiuri Shimbun reported that the U.S., which prioritizes cooperation among the three countries, proposed the meeting to Japan, the chair country of the G7.

If the three-way summit takes place, it is expected to focus on sharing security status on the Korean Peninsula and strengthening the trilateral cooperation mechanism against North Korean threats. Analysts suggest that the three countries will discuss specific plans to share information on North Korea’s missile launches, as the communist regime announced its plan to launch a military reconnaissance satellite last month. In a joint statement adopted by the Korea-U.S. summit on Wednesday, the two leaders stressed the importance of trilateral cooperation between the three allies that thrives on shared values, harnesses innovation as a driving force, and values their shared will to achieve common prosperity and security.


yea@donga.com