US President Joe Biden met with South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol and Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida on Thursday in San Francisco, Reuters reported.
The leaders posed for a joint photograph before departing without making any statements at the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) summit, according to the Yonhap news agency.
At a separate meeting earlier on Friday, Yoon and Kishida pledged to push for deeper cooperation. Kishida expressed hope for further co-operation in politics, security guarantees, economy and culture, while Yoon stated the need to re-establish consultative bodies between the two governments.
This year, bilateral cooperation is deepening with the reactivation of exchanges at each level, including at the summit level, and the restoration of consultation bodies between our governments.
The two leaders are expected to announce a joint supply network for carbon-neutral fuels, such as hydrogen and ammonia. They also discussed North Korea’s ongoing nuclear and missile tests, expressing their determination to work together with the United States to respond to North Korea, Japan’s foreign ministry reported.
Yoon has made it a priority to re-establish relations with Japan since taking office in May 2022. He also focuses on restoring trilateral security cooperation with the United States, as North Korea has been increasing its weapons programmes and openly threatening the South.
However, many South Koreans believe Japan has not done enough to atone for its 1910-1945 takeover of the Korean Peninsula.
Kishida also attended the summit with Biden in August, pledging to deepen military and economic co-operation and rebuild the alliance to counter North Korean threats and China’s expanding influence.
