Jin Yeong-seung, chairman of the South Korean Joint Chiefs of Staff, lays a wreath at Arlington National Cemetery in Washington, D.C., on Tuesday (local time). [Joint Chiefs of Staff]
Jin Yeong-seung, chairman of the South Korean Joint Chiefs of Staff, lays a wreath at Arlington National Cemetery in Washington, D.C., on Tuesday (local time). [Joint Chiefs of Staff]

South Korea's Joint Chiefs of Staff Chairman Jin Yeong-seung has traveled to the United States for the first time since taking office last September, to attend a trilateral chiefs of defense meeting with his American and Japanese counterparts.

According to the Joint Chiefs of Staff, Jin visited Arlington National Cemetery in Washington, D.C., on Tuesday (local time), where he laid a wreath and paid tribute at the Korean War Veterans Memorial to US and UN forces who served to defend South Korea's freedom and peace. He is set to attend the Tri-CHOD (Trilateral Chiefs of Defense) meeting on Wednesday (local time).

The three chiefs are expected to discuss coordination on North Korea's nuclear and missile threats, regional security issues, and ways to strengthen trilateral security cooperation. The talks will also cover plans for "Freedom Edge," the three nations' multi-domain exercise. US Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Dan Caine and Japan's Chief of Staff, Joint Staff, Uchikura Hiroaki are expected to attend.

At the last trilateral chiefs of defense meeting, held in Seoul in July last year, Caine said North Korea and China "continue an unprecedented military buildup with clear and unambiguous intent to advance their own agendas," adding that "the US focus is on reestablishing deterrence, and that requires trilateral cooperation."

Jin is also scheduled to hold separate bilateral talks with his US and Japanese counterparts during the visit. He is set to return to South Korea on Saturday.

At the Korean War Veterans Memorial, Jin said South Korea "will forever remember the noble sacrifice and dedication of the veterans who fought alongside us to defend freedom and peace during the Korean War." He added that the South Korea-US alliance "is a blood alliance built on that sacrifice and trust, and we will continue to work closely together to maintain a strong combined defense posture and ensure peace and stability on the Korean Peninsula."


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