South Korea and Japan Hold First Vice Ministerial Security Talks, Discuss Korean Peninsula and Middle East Affairs

by Park Joonyi

Published 07 May.2026 20:08(KST)

Elevated to Vice Ministerial Level from This Session

Shared Understanding of the Importance of Korea-Japan-U.S. Cooperation

Discussed Middle East Situation and Security on the Korean Peninsula

Senior foreign affairs and defense officials from South Korea and Japan discussed security cooperation measures in Seoul on May 7, 2026.

Yoonjoo Park, First Vice Minister of Foreign Affairs, and Duhee Lee, Vice Minister of National Defense, held the 14th Korea-Japan Security Policy Consultative Meeting at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs with Takehiro Funakoshi, Vice Minister for Foreign Affairs of Japan, and Koji Gano, Defense Counselor. The Korea-Japan Security Policy Consultative Meeting, which was originally held at the director-general level, was elevated to the vice ministerial level for this session.

According to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, both sides assessed that shuttle diplomacy between the leaders of Korea and Japan has recently become more active, thanks to growing trust and ties, and agreed to continue fostering exchanges and cooperation at all levels between their respective foreign affairs and defense authorities, making use of this momentum.

Currently, both countries are coordinating plans for Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi to visit South Korea in mid-May to hold a Korea-Japan summit. The vice ministers also exchanged views on the global security environment, including the recent situation in the Middle East, as well as developments on the Korean Peninsula, according to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

Vice Minister Yoonjoo Park of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Vice Minister Doohee Lee of the Ministry of National Defense are taking a commemorative photo with Takehiro Funakoshi, Deputy Minister for Foreign Affairs, and Koji Gano, Defense Councilor, before the start of the 14th Korea-Japan Security Policy Consultation held at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs building in Jongno-gu, Seoul on the 7th. Photo by Yonhap News.

The two sides reaffirmed their shared understanding that cooperation between Korea and Japan, as well as among Korea, the United States, and Japan, is becoming increasingly important amid the intensifying international situation. They agreed to maintain ongoing communication to further advance this cooperation.

Previously, President Jaemyung Lee and Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi also shared the importance of Korea-Japan and Korea-U.S.-Japan security cooperation during their summit in Nara Prefecture, Japan, in January. However, differences remain between the two countries regarding the scope and level of cooperation. The Japanese government has a positive stance on concluding a mutual logistics support agreement to facilitate material cooperation between the South Korean military and the Self-Defense Forces, while the Korean government is reportedly more cautious.

Japan has also been more proactive than South Korea in responding to the U.S. initiative to strengthen trilateral cooperation among Korea, the United States, and Japan, with the aim of deterring not only North Korea but also China by reinforcing Korea-Japan collaboration, which has been regarded as the weakest link.

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The Korea-Japan Security Policy Consultative Meeting was launched following an agreement at the 1997 Korea-Japan foreign ministers' meeting, with the first session held in Seoul the following year. Since then, the meeting has been periodically suspended and resumed depending on the state of bilateral relations. The previous session was held in Tokyo, Japan, in November 2024.

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This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.