THE leaders of the United States, South Korea and Japan have held a joint news conference to denounce the growing military cooperation between North Korea and Russia.
Held on the sidelines of the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) summit in Lima, Peru, the conference also served as a swan song for outgoing US President Joe Biden, who will be leaving office in 2025.
“We’ve now reached a moment of significant political change,” Biden told reporters on Friday. He touted the bonds between the US, South Korea and Japan as a major part of his legacy.
“This is likely to be my last trilateral meeting with this important group, but I’m proud to have helped be one of the parts of building this partnership, and I think it’s built to last. That’s my hope and expectation.”
Biden will be replaced in January by incoming President-elect Donald Trump, a Republican who champions an “America First” foreign policy.
Those shifting political tailwinds may be critical as Japan, South Korea and the US cooperate in their efforts to contain the nuclear threat they perceive in North Korea, also known as the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea (DPRK).
Earlier this week, North Korea signed into law a military treaty with another nuclear power, Russia, to bolster the latter’s war in Ukraine.
The agreement includes a mutual defence pact, and already, up to 10,000 North Korean troops have reportedly been sent to Russia’s border with Ukraine.
Biden emphasised on Friday that the US alliance with Japan and South Korea would be pivotal to “countering North Korea’s dangerous and destabilizing cooperation with Russia”.
South Korea’s President Yoon Suk-yeol echoed that sentiment, citing the increasing presence of North Korean troops abroad.
“As we can see from the recent deployment of DPRK troops to Russia, the challenging security environment within and outside the region once again reminds us of the importance of our trilateral cooperation,” Yoon said.
He and Biden were also joined by Japanese Prime Minister Ishiba Shigeru, who took office in October.
