MILITARY CHIEFS OF U.S., JAPAN, SOKOR LIKELY TO MEET IN HAWAII THIS MONTH

The top uniformed officers of South Korea, the United States and Japan are likely to gather in Hawaii later this month to discuss regional security circumstances and ways to boost trilateral ties, officials in Seoul said.

The three nations are arranging a meeting between Seoul's Joint Chiefs of Staff (JCS) Chairman Gen. Won In-choul and his US and Japanese counterparts -- Gen. Mark Milley and Gen. Koji Yamazaki -- on the occasion of the upcoming change-of-command ceremony of the US Indo-Pacific Command in Hawaii, according to the officials, Yonhap News Agency reported .

The ceremony is likely to take place later this month, as Adm. Phil Davidson will be replaced by Adm. John Aquilino, who currently serves as the commander of the Pacific Fleet.

"The meeting would be a venue to discuss North Korea and security circumstances in the region, and explore ways to boost exchanges and cooperation against shared threats," an official said.

Such three-way face-to-face talks were last held in October 2019, and the three sides held a teleconference in November last year amid the COVID-19 pandemic.

The planned meeting comes as the US is working to boost its ties with allies and partner nations to better deal with a provocative North Korea and an assertive China.

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