South Korea is expected to push to host the next trilateral summit with the United States and Japan in Seoul next year, officials said Sunday, after the first standalone meeting between the three countries' leaders last week.
President Yoon Suk Yeol, U.S. President Joe Biden and Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida met at the Camp David presidential retreat in Maryland on Friday, where they adopted a series of documents that outlined their commitments to enhance security and economic cooperation and called for the three countries' leaders to meet annually.
Yoon expressed hopes for the three sides to meet in South Korea in a joint news conference after the summit, and voiced his willingness to host the next trilateral meeting on social media.
President Biden, Prime Minister Kishida "and I indeed opened a new chapter for South Korea-U.S.-Japan cooperation today," he wrote on the social media platform X, formerly known as Twitter. "I hope to host both leaders for our next trilateral summit in South Korea."
An official at the presidential office described the post as a "suggestion" for the next summit.
"President Yoon hopes to meet with the leaders of the United States and Japan in Seoul next year," another presidential official said.
The next trilateral meeting is expected to be held sometime in the first half of 2024, although the timing remains flexible due to various political events scheduled for next year in the three countries.
South Korea will hold parliamentary elections in April, while the U.S. presidential election will take place in November.
The three leaders reached a series of agreements during the Friday summit, including a commitment to consult one another expeditiously in the event of common threats, hold annual joint military exercises and pursue enhanced ballistic missile defense cooperation to counter North Korea's nuclear and missile threats.
Source: Yonhap News Agency