Japan, US, S. Korea DMs renew commitment to Korean Peninsula’s peace

The defense chiefs of Japan, the US, and South Korea on Sunday renewed their commitment to contribute to the peace and stability of the Korean Peninsula, in the Indo-Pacific, and beyond, and signed a memorandum on the Trilateral Security Cooperation Framework. During their meeting in Tokyo, Japanese Defense Minister Minoru Kihara, US Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin and South Korean National Defense Minister Shin Won-sik expressed "grave concern over the increasing military and economic cooperation commitment" between Russia and North Korea, according to a joint press statement released after their talks. Kihara, Austin and Shin also condemned the North Korea's recent diversification of nuclear delivery systems, tests and launches of multiple ballistic missiles, and other relevant activities, the statement said. In addition, they shared assessments of recent maritime and air military activities in the Indo-Pacific region, including the South China Sea, it said. The three ministers reaffirmed that they "stro ngly oppose any unilateral attempts to change the status quo in the waters of the Indo-Pacific," stressing the importance of fully respecting international law, including the freedom of navigation and overflight. The three defense leaders also commended the successful execution of the multi-domain trilateral exercise in June, known as "Freedom Edge," and expressed their shared resolve to promote trilateral interoperability to safeguard freedom and ensure peace and stability in the Indo-Pacific, including the Korean Peninsula. Sunday's memorandum of understanding institutionalizes trilateral security cooperation among defense authorities, including senior-level policy consultations, information sharing, trilateral exercises, and defense exchange cooperation, according to the joint press statement. Source: Kuwait News Agency