[Scene video+] "Strong condemnation of North Korea's intentional act of creating tension"...a joint press conference for vice foreign ministers of Korea, the U.S. and Japan.

[Anchor]
The Korea-U.S.-Japan Foreign Ministerial Council was held in Seoul today.

The meeting has just ended, so the three foreign ministers are scheduled to hold a joint press conference.

North Korea's recent provocations and threats against South Korea, including the bombing of the Gyeongui and East Sea lines, are expected to emerge.

I'll connect to the site and listen to it myself.

[Hoster]
How are you? We will hold a joint press conference for the vice foreign ministers of Korea, the U.S. and Japan In today's conference, all three vice ministers will speak and then take questions from reporters. First Vice Foreign Minister Kim Hong-kyun, Deputy Foreign Minister Masataka Okano, and U.S. Deputy Foreign Minister Kurt Campbell will make the remarks in order. Then, Vice Minister Kim Hong-kyun will speak first.

[Kim Hongkyun / First Vice Minister of Foreign Affairs]
How are you? I'm Kim Hong-kyun, the first vice minister of foreign affairs. Once again, I welcome Deputy Secretary Campbell and Deputy Secretary Okano to Korea. The vice ministers of our three countries gathered again less than 150 days after May to hold a consultative meeting.

Through this, close and strategic consultations on various diplomatic and security issues were conducted. We have reaffirmed North Korea's complete denuclearization goals and the U.S. ironclad pledge to curb expansion.

It strongly condemned North Korea's continued nuclear missile threats, complete severance of inter-Korean land routes, so-called blockade of the southern border, and claims of drone penetration. We decided to respond firmly to any North Korean provocations by maintaining a solid South Korea-U.S. joint defense posture, and to further strengthen security cooperation under close cooperation between South Korea, the U.S. and Japan.

The Multinational Sanctions Monitoring Team, a new Security Council sanctions implementation monitoring mechanism announced today, will work closely to contribute to driving the international community's implementation of sanctions against North Korea.

We agreed that resolving the North Korean human rights issue is an important foundation for peace and unification on the Korean Peninsula, and reaffirmed our common commitment to an immediate solution to the issue of abductees, detainees and repatriated POWs. In addition to the unwavering support for a free and peaceful unification of the Korean Peninsula, we have also reaffirmed the support of the United States and Japan for President Yoon's vision of freedom, peace and prosperity.

On the other hand, we also agreed on the importance of a free and open international order based on the rule of law. Opposing any attempt to change the status quo in Indo-Pacific waters, he stressed the importance of freedom of navigation and overflight in the South China Sea, compliance with international law, including the UN Convention on the Law of the Sea, and establishing a rule-based maritime order. It also reaffirmed the importance of maintaining peace and stability in the
Taiwan Strait. We expressed deep concern about the deterioration of the situation in the Middle East and agreed that all parties should refrain as much as possible and that an early ceasefire should be reached in Gaza and Lebanon.

We also discussed the Ukraine issue in depth. We strongly condemned the illegal military cooperation between Russia and North Korea, which severely undermines peace and security in the Indo-Pacific region and Europe, and reaffirmed the solidarity and willingness of the three countries to support Ukraine. The three countries also discussed the future of Korea-U.S.-Japan cooperation.

We will continue to work hard to hold the Korea-U.S.-Japan summit as soon as possible while actively implementing the Camp David agreement. In order to ensure stable cooperation between South Korea, the U.S. and Japan, we have decided to further strengthen our efforts to institutionalize trilateral cooperation, including the development of a trilateral coordination mechanism.

We will also continue to seek ways to strengthen cooperation in new frontiers such as economic security and advanced technologies. We will expand cooperation projects to link early announcement systems for overseas spaces between the three countries and deepen cooperation in artificial intelligence, cyber, and core emerging functions.

We will continue to engage in strategic communication and cooperation through the trilateral foreign ministers' council and respond to various issues together. Thank you.

[Hoster]
Next, Deputy Secretary Okano will speak.

[Okano Masataka / Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs of Japan]
In Camp David, after the summit, cooperation between South Korea, the U.S. and Japan has been expanding in various fields, including economic security and development, and humanitarian aid policies, as well as in response to North Korea. In addition, through cooperation between overseas spaces, cooperation between the three parties is progressing globally on various regional situations, and I am very confident.

In today's discussion, we discussed not only North Korea, but also the wide range of international situations, including the Middle East and Ukraine, economic and technical security from a strategic point of view, and confirmed the future direction of cooperation between South Korea, the U.S. and Japan.

First of all, with regard to North Korea, we have again shared the perception that nuclear and missile activities are a significant and imminent threat to regional security and a clear and serious challenge to the international community. We have confirmed that significant concerns continue over the progress of military cooperation between Russia and North Korea.

In addition, we agreed to exchange honest opinions on recent trends in North Korea and respond by linking the three parties. In order to completely denuclearize North Korea in accordance with the relevant UN Security Council resolutions, South Korea, the U.S. and Japan will continue to work closely together on strengthening deterrence and coping capabilities in the region, including security cooperation, cooperation with similar countries, including the newly launched multinational sanctions monitoring team, and response to the Security Council.

I also asked for your continued understanding and cooperation regarding the abduction issue and received full support from both of you. We exchanged frank opinions on the situation in East China Sea and the South China Sea and shared the perception that attempts to unilaterally change the status quo by force should not be tolerated.

It also reaffirmed the recognition that peace and stability in the Taiwan Strait are important. Korea, the U.S. and Japan will work together to advance the response to the realization of the free and open Indo-Pacific and ensure peace and stability in the international community.

We also discussed economic security, including strengthening supply chains, protecting and fostering key emerging technologies, and confirmed that cooperation between Korea, the U.S. and Japan will be carried out again. We also had a fruitful exchange of views on the situation in the Middle East and the invasion of Ukraine by Russia.

Finally, we discussed ways to advance solid cooperation between Korea, the U.S., and Japan, and agreed to accelerate coordination for the establishment of an air-conditioning mechanism for trilateral cooperation. Japan places great importance on cooperation between South Korea, the U.S. and Japan without any changes.

In view of today's discussion, we will further advance close cooperation and broad cooperation between the three parties through interlayered communication. Thank you.

[Hoster]
Thank you. Finally, Deputy Secretary Campbell will speak.

[Kurt Campbell / U.S. Deputy Secretary of State]
Thank you. First of all, Deputy Foreign Minister Kim Hong-kyun, I would like to thank you very much for presiding over this meeting today. He presided over it very well. Our complex agenda was coordinated very smoothly so that the discussion could be achieved. Thank you for allowing me to be here with you today.

We have met more than 60 times through various opportunities since the leaders of the three countries historically held a summit here a year ago in Camp David. This is to promote such coordination of trilateral cooperation. These efforts have been promoted in security and diplomacy and many other areas.

These efforts have affected our peace and stability. What I want to emphasize is that this afternoon's meeting allowed us to analyze the situation surrounding the Korean Peninsula in depth and continuity. I was able to review it. And our three countries have a consensus belief and a view of the current situation and a view of how to proceed in the future.

First of all, I would like to say that North Korea has been very surprised by North Korea's recent provocations in various areas, such as missile activities, nuclear provocations, increased activities with Russia, and all of these things in relation to Ukraine.

However, at the same time, I would like to highly appreciate that Korea's response to this was a very careful, steady and balanced response. I think this was a proper approach.

And our U.S. position on the future of the Korean Peninsula is to maintain a strong alliance with South Korea. We ultimately support the reunification of the peaceful Korean Peninsula. In this regard, I support what is done on the basis of the consent and support of all the people.

At today's meeting, we are pursuing and aiming to have a trilateral summit as soon as possible by the end of this year, hopefully. And through this, we would like to institutionalize it so that we can continue the path of trilateral cooperation that we started.

And I think the vice ministers of the three countries will meet early for this in 2025. And not only the leaders of the three countries, but also the foreign ministers' meetings, we will be able to think more about how we can institutionalize trilateral cooperation and come up with various advice that we can present when the leaders meet later this year.

At the heart of our efforts together is something particularly related to technology. The trilateral partnership is actively underway in AI, quantum computing, bio, and various advanced technologies, and we have pledged to further promote such cooperation in the future.

Today was a very productive day. And we were happy to see how closely the positions of the three countries are aligned with each other in a serious global security situation and in the prospect of working together.