South Korea and Japan will hold a vice-ministerial 2+2 security dialogue between their foreign affairs and defense authorities in Seoul on Friday, major Japanese media reported Thursday.
According to Kyodo News, First Vice Foreign Minister Park Yoon-joo and Vice Defense Minister Lee Du-hee will represent South Korea. Japan will be represented by Takehiro Funakoshi, vice minister for foreign affairs, and Koji Kano, director-general of the defense policy bureau.
Japanese media projected that the meeting will discuss ways to strengthen cooperation in response to changes in the East Asian security environment, including North Korea's nuclear and missile development and China's military buildup. The two sides are also expected to exchange views on Middle East instability, including the situation surrounding the Strait of Hormuz.
President Lee Jae-myung and Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi reached common ground on the importance of bilateral security cooperation during their summit in January.
The Yomiuri Shimbun projected that the two countries are particularly likely to discuss responses to North Korea, which is accelerating its nuclear development with support from China and Russia — countries with which Japan's relations have cooled. The Yomiuri also reported that Japan intends to use the vice-ministerial 2+2 meeting with South Korea to pursue expanded materiel cooperation and joint drills between the South Korean military and Japan's Self-Defense Forces.
Meanwhile, Japan operates ministerial-level 2+2 meetings on foreign affairs and defense with nine countries, including the United States, Britain and India, and runs a vice-ministerial consultative body with Vietnam.
