President Yoon Suk Yeol takes reporters’ questions as U.S. President Joe Biden and Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida listen during a joint press conference after their trilateral summit at Camp David, the U.S. presidential retreat, in Maryland, August 18. (Courtesy of the Office of the President) 

Cooperation among the Republic of Korea, the United States and Japan reached a new level during a trilateral summit between President Yoon Suk Yeol, U.S. President Joe Biden and Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida at Camp David, the U.S. presidential retreat nestled in Maryland’s Catoctin Mountain Park, on August 18.  

During the summit, the leaders forged closely integrated frameworks for cooperation across their national security and economic interests, reinforcing their united stance in addressing common challenges. 

President Yoon Suk Yeol, U.S. President Joe Biden and Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida before their joint press conference after the trilateral summit at Camp David on August 18 (Courtesy of the Office of the President) 

“From this moment on, Camp David will be remembered as a historic place where the Republic of Korea, the United States and Japan proclaimed that we will bolster the rules-based international order and play key roles to enhance regional security and prosperity based on our shared values of freedom, human rights and the rule of law,” Yoon said during the joint press conference after the summit.  

It was the 13th trilateral summit for the leaders of the three countries, but this one carried extra significance as the first-ever standalone event. Also, it was the first time Biden hosted foreign leaders at the presidential retreat.  

During their talks, the leaders agreed to a trilateral summit and meetings among their national security advisers as well as foreign, defense and industry ministers every year in order to improve the summit’s sustainability.  

President Biden stressed that the intention is “to have all of our relative Cabinet-member people meet on a regular basis for – from this point on; not just this year, not next year – forever.” 

President Yoon Suk Yeol, U.S. President Joe Biden and Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida before their trilateral summit at Camp David on August 18 (Courtesy of the Office of the President) 

In addition, the leaders agreed to establish a Trilateral Indo-Pacific Dialogue to coordinate policies concerning ASEAN countries and Pacific Island nations. The planned Trilateral Development and Humanitarian Assistance Policy Dialogue will align their development cooperation policies and humanitarian aid for ASEAN and Pacific Island nations. 

To counter North Korea’s nuclear and missile threats and improve their readiness, the leaders decided to activate a real-time alert system to share information on Pyongyang’s missile launches within this year and hold joint military exercises every year.  

To strengthen their economic partnership, the leaders agreed to maintain their focus on building robust cooperation in the areas of economic security and technology and to leverage the unique capabilities that each country has. For this, they promised to work closely to launch an early warning system to expand information sharing as well as a series of joint research programs for advanced technologies and cancer research. 

During the summit, the leaders adopted three documents containing those agreements – the Spirit of Camp David, the Camp David Principles and the Commitment to Consult.  

The “spirit document” is the leaders’ joint statement outlining the outcomes of the trilateral summit while the “principles document” contains a summary of the principles that the countries should abide by while pursuing trilateral cooperation down the road.  

To highlight the unprecedented strength of the three countries’ bond, they also adopted the “consult document” to commit each government to trilateral consultations in order to coordinate responses to regional challenges, provocations and threats affecting their collective interests and security.  

President Yoon Suk Yeol, U.S. President Joe Biden and Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida walk before their luncheon at Camp David on August 18. (Courtesy of the Office of the President) 

President Yoon Suk Yeol and Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida listen to U.S. President Joe Biden during their luncheon at Camp David on August 18. (Courtesy of the Office of the President) 

“The trilateral cooperative system forged at Camp David demonstrates our collective leadership and sense of responsibility to transform the global polycrisis and challenges into an opportunity,” President Yoon said during an August 21 Cabinet meeting in Seoul.  

“The risks to our people will be substantially reduced, while the opportunities will be significantly expanded.”