LIMA, Peru (AP) – President Joe Biden on Friday praised the cooperation of South Korea, Japan and the United States to counter North Korea’s “dangerous and destabilizing cooperation with Russia.”
Biden made the remarks at the beginning of a meeting with South Korean President Yun Seok-yeo and Japanese Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba in Peru on the sidelines of the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation Summit. The talks came amid growing concerns about North Korea’s expanding military cooperation with Russia and the accelerating pace of North Korea’s ballistic missile tests.
Biden celebrated the partnership between Japan and South Korea. The two countries have historically been adversaries, but under President Biden they are currently strengthening their security and economic ties as their corner of the world becomes more complex.
Biden said this would be his last meeting with them, but the trilateral partnership should be maintained for years to come.
“I’m proud of how far we’ve come,” Biden said. “No matter what the issue was, we worked on it together.”
This comes as North Korea sends thousands of troops to Russia to assist Russia in its attempt to re-land in the Kursk border area that Ukraine captured earlier this year.
“The severe security environment in the region and beyond, as evidenced by the recent dispatch of North Korean troops to Russia, once again reminds us of the importance of trilateral cooperation,” Yun said, referring to North Korea’s official name. Using his initials, he said: translator.
Mr. Ishiba also emphasized the importance of the three countries acting as a bulwark against North Korea, noting that recent military exercises between the three countries are a sign of cooperation.
The three-day exercise in June aimed to improve joint ballistic missile defense, anti-submarine warfare, surveillance and other technologies and capabilities, and is increasingly important as North Korea ramps up tests. The aim was to improve the three countries’ ability to share missile warnings. A sophisticated system.
“I look forward to further deepening our cooperation in dealing with North Korea and in many other areas,” Ishiba said through an interpreter.
North Korean leader Kim Jong Un has ordered a series of ballistic missile tests in the run-up to this month’s US presidential election, claiming he has made progress in building the ability to attack the US mainland.
White House officials are concerned that North Korea could take further provocative actions ahead of President-elect Donald Trump’s inauguration and administration.
“I don’t think we can count on a period of silence with North Korea,” said Jake Sullivan, the White House national security adviser. “Historically, periods of regime change are periods when North Korea has taken provocative actions before and after the transition of power from one president to a new one.”
Conversations between Biden, Yun and Ishiba focused primarily on the growing threat posed by cooperation between North Korea and Russia, according to a senior administration official who spoke on condition of anonymity to discuss private conversations. The official said there was no discussion of how President Trump or the change in administration would affect trilateral relations.
Biden is on a six-day visit to Latin America for the last major international summit of his presidential term, and following APEC, he will hold a meeting of leaders from the Group of 20 economies in Brazil. World leaders are likely to face questions about the next administration, as attention turns to what President Donald Trump’s return to the White House means for them.
Biden participated in private meetings with other APEC leaders and also spoke with Peruvian President Dina Bolarte. Biden expressed appreciation for Peru’s efforts to combat drug trafficking, noting that the United States is providing the country with $65 million over the next five years to support its efforts, including nine Black Hawk helicopters. Mentioned.
Biden also spoke one-on-one with Ishiba ahead of trilateral talks focused on relations between North Korea and Russia. It was the first direct meeting since Japan’s prime minister took office on October 1.
The introduction of North Korean troops into the Russia-Ukraine conflict comes as Moscow senses a positive shift in momentum. President Trump has indicated that he may press Ukraine to agree to give up some of the land seized by Russia to end the conflict.
Up to 12,000 North Korean troops are being sent to Russia, according to assessments by the United States, South Korea and Ukraine.
U.S. and South Korean intelligence officials said North Korea is also providing large amounts of ammunition to Russia to replenish its dwindling weapons stockpile.
The talks between the United States, South Korea, and Japan follow up on a partnership that began in 2023 at a historic meeting at the U.S. Presidential Retreat at Camp David, Maryland.
Biden urged Japan and South Korea to put aside longstanding historical hostilities and strengthen economic and security ties as they counter the threat from North Korea and China’s growing military assertiveness in the Pacific. did.
The three countries signed a pledge agreeing to consult with each other, share information and coordinate messages in the face of threats and crises.
Sullivan said the Biden administration is working to make cooperation among the three countries “a permanent feature of U.S. policy.” He pointed to bipartisan support and expects it to continue under the Trump administration, but acknowledged it depends on the president-elect’s team.
Mr. Yoon and Mr. Ishiba have already been in contact with President Trump, aiming to keep relations between the incoming administration and the two countries stable amid rising tensions.
Hours before U.S. election day, North Korea fired a barrage of short-range ballistic missiles into the sea.
These launches came days after Kim oversaw a flight test of the country’s newest intercontinental ballistic missile, designed to reach the U.S. mainland. In response, the United States on Sunday flew long-range B-1B bombers in trilateral exercises with South Korea and Japan in a show of force.
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Santana reported from Washington.
