[ Anchor
Lead] The White House announced that it will discuss strengthening trilateral military cooperation between Korea, the US and Japan at the US-Japan summit on the 13th.
Regarding the review of suspending the effect of the September 19 military agreement ordered by President Yoon Seok-yeol, he spared his words, saying that he had no position.
Seung-mo Nam is a correspondent in Washington.
<Reporter>
The White House has selected military cooperation for regional stability as one of the major agendas for the upcoming US-Japan summit on the 13th.
In particular, he welcomed Japan's military expansion based on the revision of three major documents related to security, saying that it would contribute to regional stability.
[John Kirby / White House NSC Strategic Communications Coordinator: (Japan's revised security strategy) will provide an opportunity to contribute more to regional security than previous national security strategies.]
Regarding North Korea's nuclear and missile threats, recent He said that he must have seen what the US and Japan trained, and that such drills will continue in the future.
However, as South Korea and the United States are discussing mock training in response to the North Korean nuclear threat, when asked if mock training between the US and Japan could be discussed at this meeting, he said, "Let's not get ahead of ourselves."
Instead, it emphasized trilateral military cooperation between South Korea, the U.S. and Japan.
[John Kirby / White House NSC Strategic Communications Coordinator: Trilateral military cooperation between Japan, South Korea and the United States will advance further.]
In addition, he said that he had no separate position on President Yoon Seok-yeol's order to consider suspending the 9/19 military agreement if North Korea invaded the territory again, saying that it was an issue that President Yoon would discuss.
The White House stressed that it is closely watching North Korea's nuclear ambitions and will prepare the necessary posture to protect the national interests of the United States as well as its key allies, South Korea and Japan.