National security advisors from the United States, Japan, and South Korea met in Seoul on Dec. 9 as a follow-up to the historical Camp David Summit in August to further cooperation in response to the growing risks of North Korea’s nuclear threats and China’s economic coercion in East Asia.
The three countries reaffirmed their commitment, as agreed at the Camp David Summit, to coordinate efforts on a supply chain warning system to protect critical minerals and rechargeable batteries from disruptions due to economic coercion.
Countries, such as South Korea which are economically dependent on China for resources, are especially vulnerable to China’s supply chain disruption.
For example, China’s export restriction on urea, a key ingredient in fertilizer and a required chemical for newer diesel engines to reduce emissions, has caused a urea shortage in South Korea, as the country imports more than 90 percent of its urea from China, according to Yonhap News Agency.
The three also emphasized the need for peace and stability in the Taiwan Straits and freedom of navigation in the South China Sea and East China Sea.
“Cooperation between [South] Korea, the United States, and Japan has become more important than in the past in a situation where armed conflicts are taking place around the world and the rules-based order is openly threatened,” said South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol, according to Newsis.
As part of the bilateral agreement the United States made with South Korea at the Camp David Summit, the two countries also reaffirmed their commitment to tackling false information and information manipulation.
The three countries further agreed to cooperate in areas of cyberspace, advanced technologies and development, joint research, technology protection, and AI governance, according to South Korean National Security Adviser Cho Tae-yong.
Cutting Off North Korea’s Revenue Sources
The three countries agreed to launch a new initiative aimed at cutting off one of North Korea’s revenue sources for its nuclear missile development—cybercrime and cryptocurrency.“We’ve also launched new trilateral initiatives to counter the threats posed by the DPRK [North Korea], from its cybercrime and cryptocurrency money laundering to its reckless space and ballistic missile tests,” said U.S. National Security Adviser Jake Sullivan in the joint press conference.
According to a February 2023 report by blockchain analysis firm, Chainalysis, North Korea stole $1.7 billion worth of cryptocurrency through cybercrime in 2022 alone; for context, North Korea’s total exports in 2022 were $304 million, according to the International Trade Centre.
As part of the Camp David Summit agreements in response to North Korea’s launch of spy satellites, the three sides also reaffirmed their commitment to begin sharing real-time missile warning data on North Korea and to conduct regular trilateral drills in the future.
