S. Korean, US, Japanese military chiefs to meet in Seoul
According to South Korea's military on Thursday, Joint Chiefs of Staff Chairman Kim Myung-soo will host his US counterpart, Gen. Dan Caine, and Japan's Chief of Staff, Joint Staff Gen. Yoshihide Yoshida, for a trilateral meeting in Seoul on July 10 and 11.
The meeting marks the first visit to Seoul by Gen. Caine, who assumed the post in April, since the start of the Lee Jae Myung administration. It also comes nearly a year after the previous trilateral meeting was held in Tokyo on July 18, 2024. The last visit by a US Joint Chiefs chairman to Seoul was in November 2023.
The gathering comes amid growing speculation that Washington may ask Seoul to increase its contribution to the cost of stationing US forces on the Korean Peninsula or propose adjustments to the role of US troops — similar to how NATO allies have recently expanded their defense budgets in response to calls from US President Donald Trump for greater cost-sharing.
Reflecting these concerns, Caine said during his confirmation hearing in April that, if confirmed, he would review the scale of US forces deployed in South Korea and Japan and submit recommendations to the secretary of defense and the president.
South Korea's military, meanwhile, has dismissed such speculation, stating, 'The agenda of the meeting is strictly limited to trilateral military cooperation and responses to North Korea's nuclear and missile threats.' As of press time, there are no confirmed plans for Caine to meet with South Korean officials outside the military leadership.
The meeting also comes as Seoul and Washington are reportedly exploring the possibility of holding a bilateral summit later this month.
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
![[Editorial] Power without restraint](/_next/image?url=https%3A%2F%2Fall-logos-bucket.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fkoreaherald.com.png&w=48&q=75){kind=small}
Korea Herald
5 hours ago
- Korea Herald
[Editorial] Power without restraint
A contentious budget vote lays bare deep gulf between power politics, democratic principles Late Friday night, as the nation's attention was focused elsewhere, South Korea's ruling Democratic Party of Korea passed a supplementary budget worth 31.8 trillion won ($23.3 billion). The party acted alone. No opposition lawmakers took part. There was no compromise, no negotiation. This was no routine fiscal exercise. It was the first major budget under President Lee Jae Myung's administration, pushed through just a month after his inauguration. Yet the process followed a now familiar pattern of majoritarian dominance. Backed by its commanding parliamentary majority, the ruling party advanced its agenda without regard for political dialogue or consensus. At the heart of the dispute was an unlikely but revealing issue: 'special activity funds,' allocated to the presidential office and other powerful agencies. Only months ago, the Democratic Party had denounced these funds as slush money and led efforts to eliminate them under the previous administration. Now, with the same party in power, those funds have not only been restored, but expanded — a move that drew immediate accusations of hypocrisy from the conservative People Power Party, which responded by walking out of the vote. This clash over opaque budget items points to a deeper malaise in South Korean politics. Too often, principles voiced in opposition are abandoned once power is secured. The Democratic Party offered no credible explanation for its reversal, nor did it attempt to persuade the opposition to participate in the legislative process. Instead, it proceeded unilaterally — as it did days earlier when confirming Kim Min-seok as prime minister, another vote conducted without opposition lawmakers present. The irony is hard to miss. Lee and his allies have repeatedly called for 'political normalization' to restore stability after years of partisan strife. Yet their approach — marked by unilateral actions and selective memory — could deepen, rather than heal, political divides. The ruling party's justification is straightforward: The economy is in crisis, and swift action is needed. But urgency cannot justify the erosion of democratic procedure and institutional trust. Serious questions also surround the economic merits of the budget. Expanded consumer subsidies may deliver a short-term lift to domestic demand, but economists warn of inflation risks and mounting public debt, which now exceeds 1,300 trillion won. The inclusion of politically contentious items, such as increased special funds, further undermines the credibility of the government's fiscal priorities. Still, the ruling party does not bear sole responsibility for the breakdown. The People Power Party's decision to boycott the process reflects its own reluctance to engage constructively. Rather than confronting the government with reasoned arguments and detailed alternatives, it chose to abstain — a tactic that neither reins in the majority nor earns broader public support. Its tendency to obstruct rather than persuade has become habitual. Nor can the presidential office afford to remain aloof. While the president has urged swift implementation of the budget, general appeals for cooperation ring hollow without tangible efforts to rebuild trust across party lines. Leadership requires more than administrative efficiency; it demands political judgment and the discipline to prioritize long-term democratic stability over short-term political advantage. If both sides persist in this cycle of boycotts and unilateralism, the consequences will reach beyond the National Assembly. South Korea faces severe economic headwinds, geopolitical uncertainty and fragile public confidence. What the country needs is governance that prizes stability over confrontation. Ultimately, the true measure of political strength lies not in the ability to prevail in votes but in the willingness to exercise restraint. Power, used responsibly, can fortify democratic institutions and restore public trust. Without such restraint, the current standoff in Seoul may shift from a story of economic recovery to a cautionary tale of deepening dysfunction.
Korea Herald
a day ago
- Korea Herald
Top security adviser to visit US for talks on summit, tariffs
South Korea's National Security Adviser Wi Sung-lac was set to travel to Washington, D.C., on Sunday for talks with his US counterparts on a wide range of issues that may include a possible summit between South Korean President Lee Jae Myung and US President Donald Trump. During his three-day visit, Wi will also likely discuss the United States' evolving tariff scheme that includes 25 percent reciprocal duties on South Korean goods, as well as sectoral tariffs on automobiles, steel and various other products. The timing of the visit is critical as a 90-day pause of the US' reciprocal tariffs is set to expire Tuesday (US time). In a parallel diplomatic effort, Trade Minister Yeo Han-koo also arrived in Washington on Saturday to lead trade negotiations. Wi's visit also follows the recent cancellation of a Seoul trip by US Secretary of State Marco Rubio. The cancellation has fueled concerns here over the lack of high-level exchanges between the allies since the political crisis triggered by former President Yoon Suk Yeol's failed martial law bid, which ultimately led to his removal from office. (Yonhap)
Korea Herald
a day ago
- Korea Herald
Trade minister says S. Korea looks to maximize 'practical interests' in trade talks with US
South Korea's Trade Minister Yeo Han-koo on Saturday stressed Seoul's focus on maximizing "practical interests" in ongoing trade talks with the United States, as he arrived in Washington with just days left before US President Donald Trump's pause on steep tariffs expires. Speaking to the press, Yeo noted that "all possibilities" appear to remain open, saying that the pause on "reciprocal" tariffs could be extended beyond Tuesday, and that the two countries could also reach a broad agreement in principle rather than a full-fledged trade deal. Yeo's arrival came a little over a week after his last trip to the US capital, underscoring the new South Korean government's commitment to striking a trade deal with the Trump administration. He was set to resume talks with US Trade Representative Jamieson Greer on the day. "Even if (the US) unveils a new reciprocal tariff rate for each country, including South Korea, following the expiry of the July 8 pause on the tariffs, we anticipate that there could be a little (additional) period of pause," he told reporters as he walked out of a train station in Washington following his arrival in New York the previous day. "All possibilities remain open," he pointed out, saying that the likelihood of the two sides reaching a deal "in broad terms" cannot be ruled out, though concluding a formal deal on every detail over the next three days appears difficult. "We judge that the current situation is urgent ... In fact, many things are uncertain and fluid at this point," Yeo said. "Through today's negotiations, we want to figure out more details about the US' plan, and will engage in negotiations with a focus on finding ways for us to maximize practical interests." On April 2, Trump announced reciprocal tariffs, including 25 percent duties on South Korea, in a move to match what other countries impose on American goods. The tariffs took effect on April 9, but he paused them for 90 days on the day to allow time for negotiations. Aside from reciprocal tariffs, South Korea is also seeking to minimize the impact of sector-specific tariffs on automobiles, steel and aluminum. "We think that a relatively more difficult area is the sectoral tariff issue given that the US regards it as important from the standpoint of its industrial protection," he said. "But we have repeatedly emphasized that it is crucial (for South Korea) to get exceptions or ensure that the rates are significantly reduced, and we plan to reiterate that again today." Despite uncertainty over the trade negotiations, Yeo painted a positive outlook for the future of bilateral industrial cooperation. "Areas, where chances of mutual cooperation are high, are the artificial intelligence, automobiles, batteries, energy and the bio sector. They are areas where the US needs great cooperation in its efforts to rebuild its manufacturing, and (I) think South Korea has a unique value in those areas," he said. "We seek 'positive-sum' negotiations by putting together issues of industrial and technological cooperation between South Korea and the US for the mid- and long-term period of four to five years alongside tariff talks." Yeo's visit to Washington came as South Korea's National Security Adviser Wi Sung-lac is set to arrive in the US capital on Sunday for a three-day trip in what appears to be a move by President Lee Jae Myung's administration to ensure smooth cooperation between the two allies. On Friday, Trump said he will send letters to 12 countries, which specify their tariff rates, on Monday.
