Korea, Japan and China seeking to establish security talks

Seoul has been pushing to launch security talks involving Korea, China and Japan to discuss military and security matters in an effort to reinforce their cooperation in the region, a senior Korean government official said Monday, according to Yonhap News.



"Discussions are under way to launch security talks involving Korea, China and Japan," the official said, requesting anonymity. "We are mediating opinions of the related countries to push ahead with its launch by the end of this year."



The security body will be composed of senior-level military officials from the three nations who will regularly meet to discuss military and security issues in the region, the official said.

Once the military channel is established, the source predicted it could boost military

cooperation, including joint maritime search and rescue efforts, and build trust among the nations to push for joint military drills in the future.



"Regarding matters in the Korean peninsula, we need closer cooperation with China," the official said.