The White House said that South Korea and Japan are key components in addressing threats on the Korean Peninsula.

White House spokesperson Jen Psaki made the remarks on Wednesday during a press briefing when asked if there will be any three-way talks among the U.S. and its two Asian allies in the near future. 

Psaki said that she was sure there would be at some point, though she had nothing to preview at the moment. Then she added that Japan and South Korea are key components in addressing threats on the peninsula. 

The remarks came amid strained relations between Seoul and Tokyo and recent controversy over an article by Harvard law professor John Mark Ramseyer in which he argued that women sent to Japanese military brothels during World War Two were willing prostitutes. 

When asked for the Biden administration’s stance on this issue, Psaki said that she was not aware of the article or its denouncements, adding that she would be happy to take a closer look at it.