Ministry denies report of Tokyo demanding support for Fukushima water release at S. Korea-U.S.-Japan summit

▲ South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol (R) speaks with U.S. President Joe Biden (L) and Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida ahead of their three-way talks in Hiroshima, Japan, in this file photo taken May 21, 2023. (Pool photo) (Yonhap)

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Ministry denies report of Tokyo demanding support for Fukushima water release at S. Korea-U.S.-Japan summit

SEOUL, Aug. 8 (Yonhap) -- Seoul's foreign ministry on Tuesday denied a media report that Tokyo has insisted on including support for its Fukushima water release plan in a joint statement following a trilateral summit between South Korea, the United States and Japan later this month.

"It is completely untrue," Ahn Eun-ju, deputy spokesperson for the ministry, told a regular press briefing when asked about the Chosun Ilbo report that Japan was seeking for South Korea and the U.S. to publicly support the water release at the summit set to be held at Camp David, a presidential retreat on the outskirts of Washington, on Aug. 18.

"South Korea, the United States and Japan are closely coordinating to release appropriate documents in line with the purpose of the summit," she added.

The upcoming summit meeting between President Yoon Suk Yeol and his U.S. and Japanese counterparts, Joe Biden and Fumio Kishida, respectively, will be the first gathering between the three leaders to be held independently outside of a multilateral event.

The three sides are expected to discuss the strengthening of security cooperation in response to North Korea's nuclear and missile threats, as well as economic security cooperation and collaborative measures in the Indo-Pacific region.

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