S. Korea, US, Japan military chiefs agree to deepen security cooperation

The top military officers of South Korea, the United States and Japan agreed to deepen trilateral security cooperation, including by continuing their annual multidomain exercise Freedom Edge, Seoul’s Joint Chiefs of Staff said Thursday.

South Korean Joint Chiefs of Staff Chair Gen. Jin Yong-sung met US Joint Chiefs of Staff Chair Gen. Dan Caine and Japan’s Chief of Staff Gen. Hiroaki Uchikura in Washington on Wednesday for the 23rd trilateral meeting of the three countries’ top military officers.

In a joint statement, the military chiefs reaffirmed that trilateral security cooperation is important in effectively responding to North Korea’s nuclear and missile threats as well as other regional challenges.

“They agreed to continue cooperation toward the complete denuclearization of North Korea,” the statement said.

The three sides also recognized the need to deepen cooperation across multiple domains and agreed to continue exploring ways to maintain the momentum of their security partnership, including through the annual Freedom Edge exercise.

Freedom Edge is a multidomain military exercise conducted by South Korea, the US and Japan in waters near the Korean Peninsula. It was launched in June 2024, with subsequent rounds taking place in November 2024 and September 2025.

The three military chiefs agreed to hold their next meeting in Japan next year.

US Forces Korea Commander Gen. Xavier Brunson, US Forces Japan Commander Lt. Gen. Stephen Jost and US Indo-Pacific Command Deputy Commander Lt. Gen. George Rowell also attended Wednesday’s meeting.

Separate bilateral talks between the South Korean and US military chiefs and between their South Korean and Japanese counterparts were held on the sidelines.

During their bilateral meeting, Jin and Caine agreed to strengthen combined operational capabilities through a range of joint exercises and high-level military exchanges.

They also pledged to work closely to ensure that the South Korea-US alliance continues to serve as a linchpin of peace and stability on the Korean Peninsula and in the wider region.

In talks between Jin and Uchikura, the two sides shared the view that North Korea’s nuclear and missile threats pose a common challenge to security on the Korean Peninsula and across the region.

They agreed to strengthen communication and intelligence sharing and to expand exchanges between South Korea’s Joint Chiefs of Staff and Japan’s Joint Staff through high-level dialogue and working-level cooperation based on mutual trust.