OCTOBER 25, 2024

Readout of National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan’s Meeting with Director of National Security Shin Wonsik of the Republic of Korea

STATEMENTS AND RELEASES

National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan met with Director of National Security Shin Wonsik of the Republic of Korea (ROK) on October 24, 2024, in Washington, D.C., to discuss bilateral cooperation and global and regional security issues, particularly regarding the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea (DPRK) and its deployment of troops to Russia.

The two officials condemned in the strongest possible terms the DPRK’s ongoing support to Russia’s brutal and illegal war against Ukraine, including the deployment of troops to Russia as well as the transfer of ballistic missiles to Russia and Russia’s use of these missiles against Ukraine. The DPRK’s support is directly increasing the suffering of the Ukrainian people, violates multiple United Nations Security Council resolutions, undermines the global non-proliferation regime, and has significant security implications for Europe, the Korean Peninsula, and the Indo-Pacific region. The two officials committed to continuing close cooperation in support of Ukraine and the Ukrainian people.

The two officials discussed recent concerning actions taken by the DPRK, including changes to its constitution to define the ROK as a hostile state and the bombing of roads and railways connecting the South and North. The two officials reaffirmed that the United States and the ROK will maintain a strong combined defense posture in the face of the DPRK’s activities in border areas. National Security Advisor Sullivan reiterated the U.S. ironclad commitment to the ROK.

National Security Advisor Sullivan noted the precedent-setting cooperation between the United States that has been spearheaded by the leadership of President Biden and President Yoon. In particular, they noted the adoption of the U.S.-ROK Guidelines for Nuclear Deterrence and Nuclear Operations on the Korean Peninsula in July. The U.S.-ROK Alliance has expanded into a truly global partnership. From cooperation on the world’s most challenging security threats to setting the foundation for a clean energy future, the two officials agreed that the Alliance is poised to stand the test of time.

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OCTOBER 25, 2024

Joint Readout of the Trilateral National Security Advisors meeting between the United States, the Republic of Korea and Japan

 STATEMENTS AND RELEASES
 

On Friday, October 25, National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan, Republic of Korea National Security Advisor Shin Wonsik, and Japanese National Security Advisor Akiba Takeo met in Washington, D.C., for the second trilateral National Security Advisors meeting since their leaders met at Camp David in August 2023 and the fifth of the Biden Administration.  The three National Security Advisors reaffirmed their commitment to address common regional and global challenges and promote security and prosperity in the Indo-Pacific region and beyond.

In particular, National Security Advisors Sullivan, Shin, and Akiba expressed grave concern over troop deployments by the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea (DPRK) to Russia, potentially for use on the battlefield against Ukraine. This deployment is the latest in a series of concerning indicators of deepening military cooperation between the DPRK and Russia, including arms and ballistic missile transfers in direct violation of United Nations Security Council (UNSC) resolutions. The National Security Advisors call on Russia and the DPRK to cease these actions that only serve to expand the security implications of Russia’s brutal and illegal war beyond Europe and into the Indo-Pacific. The National Security Advisors reiterated the firm commitment of the United States, the Republic of Korea, and Japan to help Ukraine defend itself, and they committed to coordinate support for Ukraine’s energy infrastructure, recovery and reconstruction, and efforts to hold Russia accountable for its actions.

Furthermore, the National Security Advisors reviewed progress on a wide range of trilateral initiatives announced in the Spirit of Camp David statement.  They welcomed several notable achievements over the past year, including the operationalization of a trilateral missile warning data sharing mechanism, the establishment of a cutting-edge trilateral quantum workforce training program, and the launch of the first multi-domain trilateral exercise—FREEDOM EDGE—and a multiyear exercise plan. They also highlighted numerous high-level trilateral dialogues this year, including the first trilateral commerce and industry ministerial meeting, the first trilateral defense ministers meeting in Tokyo, and two trilateral foreign minister and two vice foreign minister meetings.

The three National Security Advisors discussed next steps on trilateral cooperation, including efforts to strengthen technology cooperation and economic security such as critical minerals supply chains and promoting trusted telecommunications networks across the Indo-Pacific region, improve maritime security coordination, expand cyber security cooperation and advance closer trilateral ties between the U.S., Korean, and Japanese business communities.

The National Security Advisors condemned the DPRK’s illicit arms transfers, malicious cyber activities, and dispatch of workers abroad to fund its unlawful weapons of mass destruction and ballistic missile programs, and committed to continue trilateral efforts focused on combatting them. They welcomed the recent launch of the Multilateral Sanctions Monitoring Team (MSMT) by their respective Vice Foreign Ministers and likeminded partners in Seoul last week, which will reinstate a comprehensive and effective monitoring and reporting mechanism for UN sanctions on the DPRK. They acknowledged their support for President Yoon’s vision of a free, peaceful, and prosperous Korean Peninsula and reiterated their support for a unified Peninsula that is free and at peace.

The National Security Advisors strongly opposed any unilateral attempts to change the status quo by force or coercion in the waters of the Indo-Pacific and underscored their commitment to the global maritime order based on international law as reflected in the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS), including freedom of navigation and overflight. They reaffirmed the importance of maintaining peace and stability across the Taiwan Strait and called for the peaceful resolution of cross-Strait issues. The National Security Advisors also agreed to increase coordination of efforts to combat pervasive threats in the cyber domain. They expressed concern over the deteriorating situation in the Middle East and called on all parties to de-escalate tensions and work toward a sustainable ceasefire. National Security Advisor Sullivan, National Security Advisor Shin, and National Security Advisor Akiba resolved to institutionalize efforts to build a new era of trilateral partnership that will be a force for peace and stability in the Indo-Pacific and beyond for years to come. They committed to work toward holding another Trilateral Leaders’ Summit at the earliest opportunity.  

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JULY 11, 2024

Joint Statement by President Joseph R. Biden of the United States of America and President Yoon Suk Yeol of the Republic of Korea on U.S.-ROK Guidelines for Nuclear Deterrence and Nuclear Operations on the Korean Peninsula

STATEMENTS AND RELEASES
 

President Joseph R. Biden of the United States of America (U.S.) and President Yoon Suk Yeol of the Republic of Korea (ROK) met on July 11, 2024 to reaffirm the advancements in U.S.-ROK security cooperation on extended deterrence since their announcement of the U.S.-ROK Washington Declaration in April 2023. The progress made since the establishment of the U.S.-ROK Nuclear Consultative Group (NCG) demonstrates the truly global, comprehensive, strategic alliance between the two countries, the ever-stronger mutual defense relationship, and our shared interest in peace, stability, and the complete denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula.

The NCG was established as an enduring bilateral consultative body that has implemented the U.S.-ROK Washington Declaration, directly strengthened U.S.-ROK cooperation on extended deterrence, and managed the threat to the nonproliferation regime posed by the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea (DPRK). The NCG has facilitated joint U.S.-ROK nuclear and strategic planning with a focus on ensuring the continued safety and security of the people of the ROK, as well as the U.S. servicemembers deployed to the Korean Peninsula, in the face of the advancing nuclear threat posed by the DPRK. The NCG contributes to the efforts by the U.S-ROK Alliance to enable joint planning and execution for ROK conventional support to U.S. nuclear operations in a contingency. The NCG also facilitates continuous improvement to U.S.-ROK combined exercises and training activities, including through regularized table-top exercises and whole-of-government simulations.

President Biden and President Yoon commend and endorse the tremendous progress that the U.S.-ROK Alliance has achieved in the first year of the NCG, as evidenced by the signing of the U.S.-ROK Guidelines for Nuclear Deterrence and Nuclear Operations on the Korean Peninsula (“Guidelines document”) by the U.S. Department of Defense and the ROK Ministry of National Defense. The Presidents underscored that the Guidelines document provides a solid foundation for enhancing U.S.-ROK extended deterrence cooperation in an integrated manner. The Guidelines document provides guidance to Alliance policy and military authorities in maintaining and strengthening a credible and effective nuclear deterrence policy and posture. The Presidents reiterated the need to continue to make swift progress on NCG workstreams, including security protocols and expansion of information sharing; nuclear consultation processes in crises and contingencies; nuclear and strategic planning; ROK conventional support to U.S. nuclear operations in a contingency through conventional-nuclear integration; strategic communications; exercises, simulations, training, and investment activities; and risk reduction practices.

The Presidents reaffirmed their commitments in the U.S.-ROK Washington Declaration and highlighted that any nuclear attack by the DPRK against the ROK will be met with a swift, overwhelming and decisive response. President Biden reiterated that the U.S. commitment to extended deterrence to the ROK is backed by the full range of U.S. capabilities, including nuclear. President Yoon reiterated that the ROK’s full range of capabilities will greatly contribute to the Alliance’s combined defense posture.

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