In recent weeks, geo-strategic tensions in Northeast Asia have quietly, yet surely, deepened.
On June 13 and 14, another round of an Extended Deterrence Dialogue between the United States and Japan was held in Wyoming. On Tuesday, South Korea and China held their first sub-Cabinet level security talks in Seoul. Then the next day, Russian President Vladimir Putin visited North Korea for the first time in 24 years where he held talks with Kim Jong Un. These events could not have happened by coincidence.
During this period, I was fortunate to be visiting Seoul for the first time in eight years. The main purpose of my visit was to attend a conference on trilateral cooperation among Japan, South Korea and China that was organized by a group called the Trilateral Cooperation Secretariat. The trilateral framework began in 1999 and now the group's headquarters is located in Seoul. It is an inconspicuous but very important international organization that serves as an effective confidence-building tool among the three nations.