Top military officers of S. Korea, US, Japan reaffirm 3-way cooperation against NK threats

The top military officers of South Korea, the United States and Japan have reaffirmed that three-way security cooperation is critical to countering regional challenges, including North Korean nuclear and missile threats, Seoul's military said Thursday.

The three sides shared the understanding during the Trilateral Chiefs of Defense (Tri-Chod) meeting at the Pentagon near Washington on Wednesday (local time), according to a joint statement released by the South's Joint Chiefs of Staff (JCS).

South Korean JCS Chairman Gen.

Jin Yong-sung was joined by his American and Japanese counterparts — Gen.

Dan Caine and Gen.

Hiroaki Uchikura — for the trilateral meeting.

"They reaffirmed that trilateral security cooperation is key to effectively responding to various regional challenges and threats, including North Korean nuclear and missile threats that affect peace and stability on the Korean Peninsula, the Indo-Pacific and beyond," the statement read.

"They agreed to maintain cooperation toward the complete denuclearization of North Korea in line with U.N.

Security Council resolutions, recogni ...