South Korea, US and Japan Issue Declaration Amid Increasing Tensions With Pyongyang, Beijing

U.S. President Joe Biden (C) meets with Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida (R) and South Korean President Yoon Suk-yeol (L) on the sidelines of the East Asia Summit during the 40th and 41st Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) Summits in Phnom Penh on Nov. 13, 2022. Saul Loeb/AFP via Getty Images

The leaders of the United States, Japan, and South Korea have agreed to take resolute measures to deal with North Korea’s nuclear threats while indirectly warning Beijing over security-related issues in the Indo-Pacific, including Taiwan.

U.S. President Joe Biden, South Korean President Yoon Seok-yul, and Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida met on the sidelines of the East Asia Summit in Cambodia on Nov. 13.

It has been four months since the three leaders last met during the NATO summit in Spain in June.

While the meeting lasted for only 15 minutes, a Phnom Penh Statement on Trilateral Partnership for the Indo-Pacific was announced later, which comes amid North Korea’s frequent nuclear tests and tense U.S.-China tensions.

In their statement, the leaders reaffirmed the U.S. commitment to strengthen extended deterrence against North Korea’s nuclear and missile threats, shared information on North Korea’s missiles in real-time, and agreed to launch a dialogue among the three governments on economic security.

Japan's Prime Minister Fumio Kishida (L) and South Korea's President Yoon Suk-yeol (R) take part in the ASEAN-Plus Three Summit in Phnom Penh on Nov. 12, 2022. Tang Chhin Sothy/AFP via Getty Images

South Korea’s First Clear Message to Contain Beijing

The statement was not only aimed at North Korea’s nuclear and missile threats but also warned against aggressive behavior in the Indo-Pacific region, especially regarding Taiwan, but did so without mentioning Beijing.

“The Leaders strongly oppose any unilateral attempts to change the status quo in waters of the Indo-Pacific, including through unlawful maritime claims, militarization of reclaimed features, and coercive activities,” reads the joint statement.

“Prime Minister Kishida, President Yoon, and President Biden emphasized that their basic positions on Taiwan remain unchanged, and reiterate the importance of maintaining peace and stability across the Taiwan Strait as an indispensable element of security and prosperity in the international community.”

Facing Chinese leader Xi Jinping’s repeated revelations of his will to “unify” Taiwan, it is rare for the South Korean government, the United States, and Japan to unanimously state their positions on the Taiwan issue.

This is the first time that South Korea has sent such a clear message to check China, South Korean newspaper Chosun Ilbo said in an editorial on Nov. 14.

A People's Liberation Army member looks through binoculars during military exercises as Taiwan's frigate Lan Yang is seen in the background on Aug. 5, 2022. Lin Jian/Xinhua via AP, File

The editorial said that the South Korean government has been ambivalent in the past amid U.S.-China tensions because it relies on the United States for security and China for economic support. The Yoon administration is in a similar situation, but recent developments have forced it to take a stance, it said.

“Such a clear message of cooperation between South Korea, the U.S., and Japan, as well as containment of China, has put a burden on South Korea’s diplomacy. Even so, South Korea decided to participate in the issuance of a joint statement that might stimulate China,” reads the editorial.

“South Korea has realized that the only way to face North Korea’s nuclear and missile threats is to strengthen the three-way cooperation system among South Korea, the United States, and Japan,” it said.

“Instead of stopping North Korea’s madness, China seems to be defending North Korea and forcing South Korea to make such a choice.”

Beijing Pushes South Korea Closer to US

Another Korean media Dong-a Ilbo also published an editorial on Nov. 14, saying that Beijing’s harboring of North Korea will only make itself the target of the “triangular security” of South Korea, the United States, and Japan.

White House has long wanted to strengthen its “iron triangle” with Japan and South Korea so to create a strong front line in Northeast Asia to contain Beijing.

Debris of a North Korean missile salvaged from South Korean waters that were identified as parts of a Soviet-era SA-5 surface-to-air missile is seen at the Defense Ministry in Seoul, South Korea, on Nov. 9, 2022. Yonhap via Reuters

“North Korea’s high-intensity provocations have [made South Korea] put aside concerns over diplomatic tensions with China, historical conflicts between South Korea and Japan, and trade problems between South Korea and the United States, pushing South Korea closer to the United States,” reads the editorial.

“The South Korean government also seems to have abandoned its previous expectations of China and is gradually joining the United States and Japan in a common front to contain China,” it said.

“Instead of punishing North Korea for its misdeeds, China has acted as a shield. Its responsibility [for this] is obvious.”

U.S. President Joe Biden (R) sits next to U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken (L) during a trilateral meeting with Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida and South Korean President Yoon Suk-yeol in Phnom Penh, Cambodia, on Nov. 13, 2022. Saul Loeb/AFP via Getty Images

Economic Security and Prosperity

The leaders of the three countries also emphasized the importance of trilateral cooperation to enhance economic security and prosperity throughout the Indo-Pacific and the world.

“They will continue to ensure, secure and resilient supply chains, promote Data Free Flow with Trust, enhance trilateral, regional, and like-minded cooperation on critical and emerging technologies, protect critical infrastructure and strengthen resilient and diverse supply chains of critical minerals to elevate environmental, social, and governance standards in the sector,” it said.

“The three countries will cooperate to advance innovation and deployment of emerging technologies including Artificial Intelligence, quantum information science and technology, biotechnology, and advanced communications, including use of open-RAN technology.”

The leaders also pledged to work closely together through the Indo-Pacific Economic Framework (IPEF).