ROK-US-Japan Summit adopts a joint statement The Spirit of Camp David

The leaders of South Korea, the United States, and Japan adopted a joint statement, The Spirit of Camp David, on Aug. 18. The three leaders stated that in the spirit of Camp David, the three countries have entered together into a new era of trilateral partnership. Camp David is a site of history, where important decisions were made at every turn in modern history. The institutionalization of a joint role by the three countries at the summit is historic, turning the challenges of the global complex into opportunities. The leaders emphasized that the Trilateral Commission will not just be a cooperation of the three countries, but a pillar of regional order. "Our cooperation is not just a partnership built for our people, but for the entire Indo-Pacific," they said in a joint statement. Also included are: Our shared values will guide us, and our common goal will be a free and open Indo-Pacific where the 500 million people of the United States, Japan, and South Korea are safe and prosperous. Geopolitical rivalries, the climate crisis, Russia's war of aggression in Ukraine, and nuclear provocations meet at a historic crossroads to test us. It will strengthen strategic coordination between the ROK-U.S. Alliance and the U.S.-Japan Alliance and elevate trilateral security cooperation to a new level. We will have trilateral consultations between the leaders, foreign ministers, defense secretaries, and national security advisors at least annually, which will complement the existing trilateral consultations between the foreign and defense secretaries, respectively. We call on North Korea to abandon its nuclear and missile programs and strongly condemn its ICBM launches and conventional military actions. We announce the establishment of a trilateral working group to advance trilateral cooperation, including coordination with the international community. We express our support for the goals of South Korea's bold initiative and advocate for a free and peaceful reunified Korean Peninsula. The U.S. commitment to contain expansion in South Korea and Japan is ironclad.

The three countries announce that they intend to conduct trilateral exercises on an annual basis, with a drill name, in a multi-domain setting, to enhance our coordinated capabilities and cooperation. We will ensure that North Korean missile warning information is shared in real time by the end of 2023, and we will pursue enhanced ballistic missile defense cooperation to counter North Korea's nuclear and missile threats. We will strengthen cooperation on technology protection measures to ensure that the advanced technologies we develop are not illegally leaked or hijacked overseas. We will continue to support Ukraine and impose tough, coordinated sanctions on Russia. We will accelerate the reduction of our dependence on Russian energy. The international community has learned a lesson: the international community's unwavering commitment to upholding the principles of territorial integrity, sovereignty, and the peaceful settlement of disputes. We reaffirm our view that any denial of these fundamental principles anywhere represents a threat to our region. With regard to the dangerous and aggressive behavior we have witnessed by the People's Republic of China in the South China Sea in support of its illegal maritime claims, we recall the publicly stated positions of our respective countries and strongly oppose any unilateral attempts to change the status quo in the Indo-Pacific waters. To bring a peaceful and prosperous future to the people of Korea, Japan, and the Indo-Pacific region, we must stand together more often. We stand unwavering in the face of the most difficult challenges of our time, and most importantly, we share the belief that the United States and Japan can face them together, now and in the future.

Yoon and Jo Summit

South Korean President Seokyul Yoon and U.S. President Joe Biden held their summit in four months at Camp David. During the summit, they reviewed and reaffirmed the progress of the implementation of the Washington Declaration of April and the U.S. commitment to deter expansion. Citing the launch of the trilateral Nuclear Consultative Group (NCG) and the deployment of U.S. strategic nuclear submarines to the Korean Peninsula, among other things, the two leaders assessed the faithful implementation of the "Washington Declaration" agreed upon in April and called for a new chapter in trilateral cooperation. They agreed to strengthen cooperation to cut off funding streams for North Korea's nuclear and missile development, such as sending workers abroad and illegal cyber activities, and confirmed close cooperation in the fields of economic security and high technology. They also expressed hope that the launch of the "Korea-U.S. Dialogue on Next-Generation Core and Emerging Technologies," agreed to in April, will accelerate cooperation in high-tech fields such as artificial intelligence (AI), semiconductors, and bio. Yoon said "I am honored to have met with President Biden at Camp David, an important site in modern diplomatic history. The U.S.-ROK alliance is evolving into a just alliance for global freedom, peace, and prosperity based on universal values." Biden reaffirmed to Yoon the United States' unwavering defense and extended deterrence commitments. The White House said the two leaders affirmed their continued support for Ukraine and their commitment to promoting peace and stability throughout the Indo-Pacific, including the Taiwan Strait and South China Sea. Biden, who greeted Yoon on the phone with a "Hello my friend," spent the day in addition to the originally scheduled meeting at Camp David, showing Yoon around the Aspen home of the former U.S. president and chatting with him on the observation terrace.

Biden brought up his father in the conversation, telling Yoon, "There are a lot of similarities between the two of us in terms of having a father who was both loving and strict, and a father who had a lot of influence on his children." During the call the day before, when he was mourning the passing of Yoon's father, Biden had reportedly been talking about his father with Secretary of State Blinken and White House National Security Adviser H.R. Sullivan at Camp David. Yoon is the only foreign head of state to receive a U.S. state visit and an invitation to Camp David, and the first to be shown inside Biden's vacation home in Aspen. The luncheon, which was attended by Yoon, Biden, and Kishida with a minimal entourage, featured a salad topped with peaches from Mount Katahdin (the name of the area where Camp David is located), squash ravioli, and a chocolate crunch bar for dessert.