National security advisers of S. Korea, U.S., Japan to meet in Hawaii

South Korea’s National Security Adviser Kim Sung-han said Wednesday he will seek ways with his U.S. and Japanese counterparts to expand trilateral security cooperation to counter evolving nuclear and missile threats by North Korea.

Kim made the remarks as he left for Hawaii for talks with his U.S. and Japanese counterparts, Jake Sullivan and Takeo Akiba, respectively, Thursday in the first such meeting since the launch of the Yoon Suk-yeol administration in May.

“The meetings will be quite timely and meaningful, given the grave security circumstances of the Korean Peninsula,” Kim told reporters. “The gatherings are expected to serve as a chance to seek ways to effectively respond to evolving security threats by North Korea’s nuclear and missile programs.”

North Korea has continued provocations, as it carried out nearly 20 rounds of missile launches this year alone, and it is ready to carry out a nuclear test at any time, he added.

The officials will also have talks on how to encourage Pyongyang to accept South Korea’s “audacious plan,” in which Seoul offered to carry out massive food assistance and infrastructure projects in the North if Pyongyang demonstrates its commitment to denuclearization.

Earlier this month, President Yoon Suk-yeol made the proposal in his Liberation Day address, but North Korea has reacted negatively, calling the proposal the “height of absurdity.”

Also on the table would be the U.S.’ Inflation Reduction Act, Kim said. The law, signed by U.S. President Joe Biden earlier this month, has sparked concerns in South Korea and elsewhere, as it excludes electric vehicles assembled outside North America from tax incentives.

The Seoul official said the U.S. has proposed a trilateral gathering, and South Korea and Japan willingly agreed to do so. It will be held at the headquarters of the U.S. Indo-Pacific Command in Honolulu.

Some have voiced concerns that holding a security meeting at the military headquarters could provoke China amid the intensifying Sino-U.S. rivalry.

But Kim said the Yoon government is working on its own Indo-Pacific strategies, and the meeting there is expected to help South Korea explore ways to further develop the bilateral alliance with the U.S., as well as the trilateral cooperation involving Japan, “in broader perspectives.”

Earlier in the day, Seoul’s presidential office said in a statement that the three will have “in-depth discussions” on the North Korea issue, trilateral cooperation, economic security, and key regional and international issues.

Kim will also have separate bilateral meetings with Sullivan and Akiba to discuss areas of mutual interest, it said.