Lima: In a significant move to enhance regional security and cooperation, South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol, U.S. President Joe Biden, and Japanese Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba issued a joint statement following their trilateral summit at the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) gathering in Lima, Peru. According to Yonhap News Agency, the leaders announced the creation of a Trilateral Secretariat aimed at coordinating and implementing shared commitments among the three nations. This initiative marks a pivotal step in strengthening the trilateral partnership, which has seen substantial progress over the past 15 months. The Secretariat's mission is to further align the objectives and actions of Japan, the Republic of Korea (ROK), and the United States to ensure the Indo-Pacific region remains thriving, connected, resilient, stable, and secure. The statement praised the expansion of trilateral security cooperation, highlighting successful military exercises such as Freedom Edge and the signing of the Memorandum of Cooperation on the Trilateral Security Cooperation Framework. This framework institutionalizes defense collaborations, including annual Chiefs of Defense and ministerial meetings, real-time data sharing on ballistic missile launches by North Korea, and enhanced ballistic missile defense capabilities. The joint statement also condemned the violation of United Nations Security Council resolutions by North Korea and Russia, particularly criticizing North Korea's decision to send troops to Russia for combat in Ukraine. The leaders reaffirmed their commitment to the denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula and the establishment of a Multilateral Sanctions Monitoring Team to oversee UNSC sanctions on North Korea. In addition to security, the trilateral partnership aims to deepen economic ties, with a focus on critical minerals supply chains and economic security. The leaders welcomed the ROK's upcoming hosting of APEC in 2025 and its chairmanship of the Minerals Security Partnership. Initiatives suc h as the Resilient and Inclusive Supply-chain Enhancement (RISE) partnership and the Trilateral Economic Security Dialogue were commended for addressing economic security challenges. The statement further emphasized the importance of peace and stability in the Indo-Pacific region, reaffirming support for ASEAN and opposing unilateral attempts to alter the status quo in regional waters. The leaders expressed a unified stance on maintaining the global maritime order and underscored the significance of peace across the Taiwan Strait. Technological collaboration was another focal point, with the leaders committing to the development of a trilateral framework for advancing critical and emerging technologies. Initiatives such as the Trilateral Technology Leaders Training Program and the Quantum Development Group were highlighted as key components of this collaboration. The joint statement concluded with a commitment to expanding people-to-people ties and supporting development and humanitarian assistance globall y. The leaders expressed their pride in the partnership built among Japan, the ROK, and the United States, envisioning it as a cornerstone of peace and stability in the Indo-Pacific for years to come.