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National security advisors of South Korea, the United States and Japan are expected to discuss a "robust" agenda of regional security issues and trilateral cooperation at their talks in Seoul this week, a White House official said Wednesday.
John Kirby, National Security Council coordinator for strategic communications, made the remarks as South Korea's National Security Adviser Cho Tae-yong and his US and Japanese counterparts, Jake Sullivan and Takeo Akiba, respectively, are set to meet on Saturday.
The meeting comes as the three countries are stepping up cooperation amid North Korea's persistent military threats, China's growing assertiveness and Russia's protracted war in Ukraine.
"I think you can expect a robust agenda of discussions of regional issues of mutual concern, particularly in the security environment," Kirby told a press briefing.
"I know that Jake is looking forward to having discussions with both of those leaders about how we can build on the Camp David agreement and really try to improve our trilateral cooperation as well as bilateral cooperation between the Republic of Korea and Japan," he added.
Kirby was referring to the agreement from the Camp David summit in August -- the first standalone trilateral summit among Seoul, Washington and Tokyo.
The summit between South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol and his US and Japanese counterparts, Joe Biden and Fumio Kishida, produced a series of landmark agreements, including their "commitment to consult" each other in case of a common threat.
The three countries held their last three-way meeting among national security advisors in Tokyo in June. (Yonhap)
