South Korea, the United States, and Japan will expand cooperation to develop and utilize energy resources in the Arctic region. The initiative is intended to strengthen economic security cooperation among allies as competition intensifies between the United States and China and Russia over Arctic shipping routes and natural resources.

According to the Yomiuri Shimbun on the 20th, Foreign Minister Cho Hyun, U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio, and Japanese Foreign Minister Motegi Toshimitsu (茂木敏充) are expected to sign a “Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) on Arctic Economic Security Cooperation” on the sidelines of the UN General Assembly, which opens in New York on the 22nd. They also plan to establish a working-level body tentatively named the “Arctic-Pacific Trilateral Partnership,” which will discuss and promote the expansion of production and supply of Arctic energy resources such as crude oil and natural gas.

Going forward, the three countries will also share icebreaker technology and maritime observation capabilities. The United States is seen as aiming through this arrangement to keep in check Russia’s military buildup in the Arctic and China’s expansion of resource development. Japan, for its part, has announced plans to operate the Arctic research vessel Mirai 2 within the year and has recently been working to increase its influence in the utilization of the Arctic Ocean and the establishment of related international norms.

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