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President Yoon Suk-yeol speaks at a joint press conference with US President Joe Biden and Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida following their summit at Camp David in Maryland, USA, on Aug. 18, 2023. (Yonhap)

The leaders of South Korea, the United States and Japan issued a joint statement on Sunday to mark the one-year anniversary of the Camp David summit, emphasizing the achievements of trilateral cooperation and reaffirming their commitment to strengthening collaboration in the areas of security, economy, technology and people-to-people ties. This move underscores the three nations’ determination to continue enhancing trilateral cooperation amid anticipated leadership changes in the United States and Japan.

In the joint statement, South Korean President Yoon Suk-yeol, US President Joe Biden, and Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida said, “[We] commemorate the tremendous progress in our trilateral cooperation in the year since our historic summit,” adding, “We hold an unshakeable belief that cooperation between Japan, the Republic of Korea, and the United States is indispensable for meeting today’s challenges and will set the stage for a prosperous future.” 

Moreover, they praised the “spirit of the Trilateral Leaders’ Summit” embodied in the joint declaration made a year ago and emphasized the importance of maintaining strong trilateral cooperation moving forward.

The leaders also renewed their “commitment to enhancing security cooperation—girded by the ironclad US-Japan and US-ROK alliances—deepening the alignment of our shared economic and technological priorities, increasing coordination on global health initiatives, and further expanding the robust people-to-people ties between our three countries.”

However, the political landscape has changed greatly in the intervening year, as two of the three leaders are expected to step down, leading many to wonder if trilateral cooperation between the three nations will still stay strong.

Former US President Donald Trump has proclaimed that if manages to secure another term in the White House, he will normalize diplomacy with North Korea, which will change the political situation on the Korean Peninsula. Many assess that the level of bilateral cooperation between South Korea and Japan could change depending on who becomes the next prime minister of Japan.

For the three heads of state, the year following the summit has been so politically disastrous that some have suggested that they’ve been subjected to the “curse” of Camp David. US President Joe Biden, who had been badgered with calls to resign from the presidential race due to his old age, withdrew from the race last month, days before the final nomination. Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida, who had been fervently seeking reelection, also announced that he would not run for a second term as leader of the Liberal Democratic Party after a prolonged period of abysmal approval ratings. 

Yoon also seems to have reached an early lame-duck period, with approval ratings wallowing in the 20%-30% range after the ruling party’s crushing defeat in April’s general election.

In response to such concerns, a senior Korean presidential office official stated, “The three key figures who established this cooperation system cannot stay in positions of power forever. Support for the Camp David agreement in Japan and the US transcends partisanship, with both ruling and opposition parties demonstrating their stalwart support.”

By Jang Na-rye, staff reporter

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