The top diplomats from South Korea, the United States and Japan have resolved to continue their close trilateral cooperation regardless of upcoming changes in the leadership of the U.S. and Japan.

According to Seoul’s foreign ministry, Foreign Minister Cho Tae-yul and his American and Japanese counterparts, Antony Blinken and Yoko Kamikawa, met on the sidelines of the UN General Assembly in New York on Monday and reaffirmed their commitment to security cooperation.  

The three sides said they will work to hold a trilateral summit within the year and establish a secretariat dedicated to trilateral cooperation, but they did not elaborate on details. 

The top diplomats also expressed concern about threats from North Korea, which is stepping up military cooperation with Russia and which recently disclosed images of a uranium enrichment facility and a new transporter erector launcher vehicle for an intercontinental ballistic missile. 

The three sides agreed to cooperate closely to ensure thorough enforcement of the UN Security Council resolutions against North Korea and reaffirmed their commitment to a "stern response" to provocations from the North. 

The ministry said Cho thanked Washington and Tokyo for expressing their support for the “August 15 Unification Doctrine,” which President Yoon Suk Yeol announced during his Liberation Day remarks.