[Vision Forum 2023] Strengthening S. Korea-US-Japan cooperation necessary for stable, prosperous Indo-Pacific

Nov 10, 2023, 10:24 am

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Guests attend AsiaToday’s Reception and Indo-Pacific Vision Forum 2023 in celebration of its 18th anniversary held at the CCMM Building in Seoul on Nov. 9, 2023. Front row (from left) Kim Yi-suk, head of Editorial Review Office at AsiaToday; Kim So-young, chairman of Global D&C; Rep. Ahn Cheol-soo of the People Power Party; Rep. Kim Tae-ho, chair of the National Assembly’s Foreign Affairs & Unification Committee; Kim Tae-hyo, first deputy director of the National Security Office; Rep. Kweon Seong-dong of the People Power Party; Woo Jong-soon, CEO and vice chairman of AsiaToday; Oh Se-hoon, Mayor of Seoul; Rep. Chung Jin-suk of the People Power Party; Daniel Russel, former Assistant Secretary of State for East Asian and Pacific Affairs; Lee Young-soo, chairman of Arirang Global Forum; Rep. Kim Byung-joo of the Democratic Party; and Rep. Cho Jung-hun of the People Power Party. Back row (from left) Cho Seok-ho, CEO of Global D&C; Hwang Seok-soo, president of AsiaToday; Chang Kwang-hyun, vice president of AsiaToday; Baek Seung-joo, president of the War Memorial of Korea; Rep. Han Moo-kyung of the People Power Party; Rep. Kim Young-bae of the Democratic Party; Kim Chul-soo, president of the Korean Red Cross; Rep. Choi Seung-jae of the People Power Party; Rep. Kim Young-sik of the People Power Party; Rep. Yang Ki-dae of the Democratic Party; Rep. Lee Hun-seung of the People Power Party; Lee Jung-hoon, professor at Yonsei Graduate School of International Studies; Rep. Ha Tae-kyeung of the People Power Party; Yoon Young-kwan, professor emeritus at Seoul National University; Kim Kwang-hwan, head of the Central Committee of the Korea Association of Persons with Physical Disabilities; Nam Sung-han, professor of Graduate School of International Studies of Korea University; Yoshihide Soeya, professor emeritus of Keio University; and Sun Sang-shin, executive president of AsiaToday./ Photographed by Song Eui-joo

AsiaToday reporters Lee Seok-jong

AsiaToday held the Indo-Pacific Vision Forum on Thursday to mark its 18th anniversary in Seoul. During the forum, scholars from South Korea, the United States, and Japan agreed that cooperation among South Korea, the U.S., and Japan should be strengthened to create a stable and prosperous future not only on the Korean Peninsula, but also in the Indo-Pacific region.

Under a presentation titled, “Indo-Pacific vision and Korea-U.S.-Japan cooperation,” Kim Sung-han, a professor of Korea University’s Graduate School of International Studies and former National Security Adviser, said in his presentation, “The prerequisite of Korea-U.S.-Japan cooperation for free, peaceful, and prosperous Indo-Pacific region is the maintenance of the liberal international order.” He stressed that the three countries should “share roles for the denuclearization of North Korea, the unification of the Korean Peninsula, and for free, peaceful, and prosperous Indo-Pacific region, and bring their network power together to create synergy.”

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Kim Sung-han, a professor of Korea University’s Graduate School of International Studies, speaks at AsiaToday’s Reception and Indo-Pacific Vision Forum 2023 in celebration of its 18th anniversary held at the CCMM Building in Seoul on Nov. 9, 2023. / Photographed by Song Eui-joo

“Since both South Korea and Japan are allied with the United States, trilateral security cooperation is more effective than the bilateral,” prof. Kim said. “It is realistic that South Korea, the U.S., and Japan play a central role in deterring and defending North Korea as well as dealing with non-traditional security threats in the Indo-Pacific region,” he said.

Daniel Russel, Vice President of Asia Society Policy Institute and former Assistant Secretary of State, said, “The US-ROK-Japan trilateral partnership is essential for securing a peaceful, prosperous, and free Indo-Pacific region.” He added that it must be made “more resilient and durable to outlast any one administration in each of the three countries.”

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Daniel Russel, former Assistant Secretary of State for East Asian and Pacific Affairs, speaks at AsiaToday’s Reception and Indo-Pacific Vision Forum 2023 in celebration of its 18th anniversary held at the CCMM Building in Seoul on Nov. 9, 2023. / Photographed by Song Eui-joo

“Institutionalizing trilateralism and strengthening ties between Japan and Korea are of paramount importance in order to sustain the partnership,” he said, proposing to hold regular summits and high-level discussions among the three countries, create a trilateral fund to support joint projects, and scholarships, and launch a coordinated public diplomacy campaign.

Yoshihide Soeya, Professor Emeritus of Keio University, said, “Normalized Japan-ROK relations have encouraged the United States to revitalize the trilateral security cooperation beyond the scope of Northeast Asia.” He said that South Korea and Japan “should lead a set of minilateral cooperation for stability and prosperity in the Indo-Pacific region while working closely with the United States in dealing with traditional security threats and problems in Northeast Asia.”

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Yoshihide Soeya, Professor Emeritus of Keio University, speaks at AsiaToday’s Reception and Indo-Pacific Vision Forum 2023 in celebration of its 18th anniversary held at the CCMM Building in Seoul on Nov. 9, 2023. / Photographed by Song Eui-joo

Earlier, President Yoon Suk-Yeol said in a congratulatory speech read by Kim Tae-hyo, the first deputy chief of the National Security Office, “The government is expanding our global stage to Europe, Southeast Asia, and the Middle East by solidifying the Korea-U.S. comprehensive strategic alliance, future cooperation between Korea and Japan, and security and economic cooperation among Korea, and the U.S. and Japan,” adding, “The Korea-U.S.-Japan cooperation system established at Camp David in August will further strengthen the deterrence against North Korea’s nuclear weapons, while empowering our role for peace and prosperity in the Indo-Pacific region and the international community.”

“Our responsible diplomacy and contributing diplomacy toward freedom and solidarity will come as a new opportunity not only for the prosperity of the international community but also for us,” Yoon added.

During the forum, which was held under the theme of “Freedom and Solidarity! The Great Journey to Expansion,” Young young-kwan, chairman of the Asan Institute for Policy Studies and former Minister of Foreign Affairs, as head, Jin Chang-soo, director the Japan Training Center at Sejong Institute, and Lee Jung-hoon, professor of the Graduate School of International Studies at Yonsei University, held a panel discussion with the three presenters.

The event was held successfully with nearly 500 people in attendance, including Woo Jong-soon, CEO and vice chairman of AsiaToday, Kim Chul-soo, president of the Korean Red Cross, Kim Tae-hyo, first deputy director of the National Security Office, People Power Party lawmakers Kim Tae-ho, Chung Jin-suk, Ahn Cheol-soo, Kweon Seong-dong, Ha Tae-kyeung, Lee Hun-seung, Han Moo-kyung, and Choi Seung-jae, Kim Young-sik, Democratic Party lawmakers Park Kwang-on, Lee Won-wook, Seo Young-kyo, Kim Byung-joo, Kim Young-bae, Yang Ki-dae, Transition Korea’s Cho Jung-hoon, and Baek Seung-joo, president of the War Memorial of Korea.

#Indo-Pacific Vision Forum #ASIATODAY #Kim Sung-han #Daniel Russel #Yoshihide Soeya