Seoul: Japan, the US, and South Korea convened the inaugural meeting of their newly established secretariat to coordinate trilateral cooperation, according to the Japanese Foreign Ministry. The meeting took place in Seoul and was attended by Akihiro Okochi, Deputy Director-General of Japan’s Foreign Ministry’s Asian and Oceanian Affairs Bureau, Robert Koepcke, US Deputy Assistant Secretary for East Asian and Pacific Affairs, and Yi Won-woo, Deputy Director-General for South Korea’s Foreign Ministry’s North American Affairs.
According to Kuwait News Agency, the Trilateral Coordinating Secretariat was launched following an announcement at a summit by Japanese Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba, US President Joe Biden, and South Korean President Yoon Suk-yeol. The announcement was made during their three-way summit on the sidelines of the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation forum in Peru on November 15. The secretariat aims to coordinate and implement trilateral cooperation, focusing on advancing and monitoring progre
ss in various fields.
During Wednesday’s meeting, officials reviewed the progress of trilateral cooperation and agreed to work together through the secretariat to accelerate momentum. The initiative is set to enhance coordination and drive forward concrete efforts in trilateral collaboration.