Although the three countries, South Korea, China, and Japan have resumed communications and laid the groundwork for the normalization of an alliance, they are showing significant differences in their attitudes towards the North Korean nuclear issue. North Korea carried out a provocative act of launching a military reconnaissance satellite just after the tripartite summit.
On May 27, the Joint Chiefs of Staff announced, “At around 10:44 PM, we detected a trajectory presumed to be a military reconnaissance satellite claimed by North Korea. The satellite was launched from the Dongchang-ri area North of Pyongan toward the South Sea.” North Korea had previously notified the Japan Coast Guard that it would “launch a satellite rocket between midnight on May 27 and midnight on June 4.” The notification was followed immediately by a provocation, but North Korea’s latest launch is believed to have failed.
The Joint Chiefs of Staff stated, “At around 10:46 PM, it was assessed that an explosion occurred in the air after detecting multiple fragments from the North Korean side at sea.”
North Korea has continued its provocations about six months since its successful launch of the Malligyong-1 military reconnaissance satellite in November 2023. The rocket used for satellite launch, which uses the same technology as the intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM), is considered a serious military provocation. The Presidential Office held a security situation review meeting and criticized it as a “Violation of the UN Security Council resolutions, regardless of its success,” stating, “We view this as a provocative act that threatens peace and security on the Korean Peninsula, Northeast Asia, and the international community, and condemn it.”
The timing of North Korea’s provocation is also noteworthy. The day that the missile was launched was also the day when the three countries, South Korea, China, and Japan, gathered to resume communications for the normalization of an alliance.
President Yoon Suk Yeol, Prime Minister Fumio Kishida of Japan, and Premier Li Qiang held a tripartite summit at the Blue House in Seoul on May 27, declaring the normalization of cooperation among the three countries after four years and five months. The three countries agreed to strengthen cooperation in various fields, including economy and trade, by resuming communications on the Free Trade Agreement (FTA).
In addition to resuming cooperation, the most attention for the tripartite summit was the response to the North Korean nuclear issue. Through a joint declaration announced after the summit, the three countries stated, “We have each reiterated our positions on peace and stability in the region, denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula, and the issue of abductees.” There is an analysis that the three countries could not reach a consensus on the North Korean nuclear issue.
Yoon emphasized in a joint press conference that “it is important to work for the denuclearization of North Korea.” Kishida stated that the denuclearization of North Korea is a common interest of the three countries but prioritized resolving the “abductee issue.”
Li stated that China is promoting peace and stability on the Korean Peninsula and a political solution to the Korean Peninsula issue but did not mention denuclearization. Li stated, “The related parties should maintain restraint and prevent the situation from worsening and becoming more complicated.”
This differs from the expression: “We are working for the complete denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula” in the Vision for 3-Country Cooperation in the Next 10 Years adopted by the three countries at the tripartite summit in Chengdu, China, in December 2019.
Head of the National Security Office Chang Ho Jin appeared on TV Chosun and stated, “The inclusion of the expression ‘Denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula’ in the joint declaration means that each country has explained its position on denuclearizing the Korean Peninsula.”