Third trilateral meeting this year on sidelines of UN General Assembly; joint statement adopted on dialogue and diplomatic coordination

Semiconductor, AI supply chain cooperation; united front on freedom of navigation and economic coercion

Foreign Minister Cho Hyun, US Secretary of State Marco Rubio and Japanese Foreign Minister Toshimitsu Motegi pose for a photo before their trilateral meeting in New York on Monday (local time). [Yonhap]
Foreign Minister Cho Hyun, US Secretary of State Marco Rubio and Japanese Foreign Minister Toshimitsu Motegi pose for a photo before their trilateral meeting in New York on Monday (local time). [Yonhap]

The foreign ministers of South Korea, the United States and Japan met in New York on the sidelines of the UN General Assembly, reaffirming a firm deterrence posture against North Korean threats and adopting a joint statement that outlined plans to protect critical advanced technologies and advance cooperation on small modular reactors.

South Korea's Ministry of Foreign Affairs said Foreign Minister Cho Hyun held the trilateral meeting with US Secretary of State Marco Rubio and Japanese Foreign Minister Toshimitsu Motegi on Monday (local time) in New York, where Cho was attending the high-level week of the 81st UN General Assembly. The meeting was the third trilateral gathering of the three countries' top diplomats this year, following sessions on the sidelines of the NATO summit and ASEAN-related foreign ministers' meetings in July.

The three ministers held wide-ranging discussions covering the Korean Peninsula, regional and global affairs, economic security and practical cooperation, then released a joint statement reflecting the outcomes.

On policy toward North Korea, the ministers agreed to maintain a firm deterrence posture against the North's military threats. They also reaffirmed their commitment to close coordination in pursuit of peace and stability on the Korean Peninsula and the goal of denuclearization through dialogue and diplomacy.

On major regional developments in Northeast Asia, the Middle East and elsewhere, the ministers agreed to further strengthen trilateral communication and coordination amid growing global uncertainty. They underscored the importance of freedom of navigation and overflight, adherence to international law including the UN Convention on the Law of the Sea, and enhanced maritime security across the Indo-Pacific and beyond. They also agreed to broaden cooperation in areas where the three countries can make tangible contributions, including countering transnational crime, disaster relief and humanitarian assistance.

Economic security cooperation to address global volatility was also a central focus. The ministers agreed on the urgency of energy and economic security coordination and committed to deepening practical cooperation in critical and emerging technology sectors including semiconductors, AI, quantum computing, digital infrastructure and biotech. They also agreed to intensify coordination on protecting advanced technologies, diversifying supply chains and strengthening their resilience, and countering economic coercion.

The ministers welcomed the establishment of an implementation plan for the effective and mutually beneficial execution of the Memorandum of Cooperation on small modular reactor cooperation signed at their July 7 meeting.

The three ministers agreed to make fuller use of sector-specific and multilevel consultative bodies to ensure that trilateral cooperation delivers tangible benefits to their citizens. They said they intend to meet as frequently as possible at major multilateral forums and other opportunities to maintain close communication and expand the scope of their cooperation.


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