The defense chiefs of South Korea, the United States and Japan held a trilateral meeting on Sunday in Thailand ahead of the expiration of a military intelligence sharing agreement between Seoul and Tokyo.

Defense Minister Jeong Kyeong-doo and his American and Japanese counterparts Mark Esper and Taro Kono sat down for talks in Bangkok on Sunday afternoon on the sidelines of the sixth annual ASEAN Defense Ministers' Meeting-Plus.

Esper said in opening remarks that the defense chiefs would discuss the importance of information sharing among allies, an apparent reference to the General Security of Military Information Agreement, or GSOMIA, set to expire Nov. 22.

After the trilateral meeting, Seoul's Defense Ministry said in a press release that the three ministers stressed that multilateral security cooperation plays an important role in maintaining regional peace and stability.

The release said that the three agreed to improve security cooperation between Seoul, Washington and Tokyo, including information sharing, high-level policy consultation and joint exercises. 

The ministry added that the United States has reaffirmed its ironclad commitment to defend its Asian allies and that the defense chiefs agreed to continue close cooperation for peace and stability in the region and the world.