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| ▲ The 2023 diplomatic white paper, published by the South Korean foreign ministry (PHOTO NOT FOR SALE) (Yonhap) |
foreign ministry-2023 white paper
3-way cooperation with U.S., Japan key to deterring N.K. threats: diplomatic white paper
By Kim Seung-yeon
SEOUL, Dec. 31 (Yonhap) -- South Korea's trilateral cooperation with the United States and Japan has been a key tool in strengthening the deterrence against North Korea's nuclear and missile threats, a diplomatic white paper showed Tuesday.
The three-way cooperation framework, marked by the Camp David summit in August 2023 among President Yoon Suk Yeol, U.S. President Joe Biden and then Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida, has advanced their security partnership into a "comprehensive and multilayered" one, according to the 2023 white paper released by the foreign ministry.
"The year 2023 marked the swiftest and most frequent trilateral cooperation between South Korea, the United States and Japan in addressing North Korean threats," the Korean-language white paper said.
"The Camp David summit has upgraded the level of institutionalization of the trilateral cooperation," it said.
Since its launch in May 2022, the Yoon administration has prioritized close alignment with Washington as integral to its foreign policy, while also working to improve relations with Tokyo despite longstanding historical issues.
Yoon announced in March this year that Seoul will compensate its forced labor victims without contributions from responsible Japanese companies.
His controversial decision led to a dramatic improvement in bilateral ties with Japan, followed by the resumption of shuttle diplomacy between the two leaders.
"The improvement in Korea-Japan relations led to the first-ever trilateral summit between the three countries at Camp David, opening a new chapter in the trilateral cooperation," it said.
In the white paper, South Korea maintained its reference to Japan as "the closest neighbor and cooperation partner," stating that the decision on compensation for forced labor victims was a "resolution led by Seoul from a broader perspective to normalize relations with Tokyo."
The English version of the white paper will be available on the Ministry of Foreign Affairs' website in the coming weeks.
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