Intelligence chiefs of S. Korea, U.S., Japan to meet in Seoul next week: source

All News 22:13 October 16, 2021

SEOUL, Oct. 16 (Yonhap) -- The intelligence chiefs of South Korea, the United States and Japan will meet in Seoul early next week for closed-door talks on North Korea, among other issues, a government source here said Saturday.

These file photos from May 9, 2021, show, from left to right, Avril Haines, the U.S. director of national intelligence; Park Jie-won, head of South Korea's National Intelligence Service; and Hiroaki Takizawa, Japan's cabinet intelligence director. (Yonhap)

According to the source, Park Jie-won, head of South Korea's National Intelligence Service (NIS), will sit down with Avril Haines, the U.S. director of national intelligence, and Hiroaki Takizawa, Japan's cabinet intelligence director, during their trips to Seoul next week.

This will be the first meeting for the three spy chiefs since May this year.

The three are expected to focus on issues surrounding North Korea, in light of South Korean President Moon Jae-in's proposal for a declaration to formally end the Korean War, and the subsequent push by Seoul and Washington to bring Pyongyang back to dialogue.

Park, Haines and Takizawa may also discuss strengthening their trilateral intelligence cooperation under the new Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida.
(END)