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US Secretary of State Marco Rubio stressed that the trilateral relationship between the United States, South Korea, and Japan is "critical" for peace and stability in the Indo-Pacific, as he held talks with his Asian counterparts in New York. Rubio made the remarks in a post on social media following a three-way meeting with South Korean Foreign Minister Cho Hyun and Japanese Foreign Minister Takeshi Iwaya, held on the sidelines of the UN General Assembly. "Our trilateral partnership is critical to promoting peace and stability in the Indo-Pacific and to advancing economic and security cooperation," Rubio wrote on X. The talks came as Washington, Seoul, and Tokyo continue to deepen cooperation amid North Korea's advancing nuclear and missile programs.

South Korea, the United States and Japan launched their trilateral multi-domain exercise Monday, in what is seen as their continued efforts to deepen security cooperation. The five-day Freedom Edge exercise got under way in international waters east and south of South Korea's southern island of Jeju from Sept. 15–19, according to the South Korean military. The ongoing exercise is the third round of the trilateral drills, following previous rounds of the exercise conducted in June and November last year, respectively.It is the first such exercise to be held since President Lee Jae Myung and US President Donald Trump took office. The Korean military earlier said the three countries will aim to enhance their interoperability to maintain a "solid and stable" trilateral cooperation through the exercise, according to (Yonhap) news agency. The US Indo-Pacific Command said the exercise "demonstrates the countries' shared commitment to collectively achieve and maintain peace in the Asia-Pacific."The exercise will feature training aimed at sharpening ballistic missile defense capabilities, as well as air defense exercises, medical evacuation training and maritime interdiction operation training, it said.