Trilateral summit at Camp David to serve as opportunity to build friendship: officials

S Korea-US-Japan

Trilateral summit at Camp David to serve as opportunity to build friendship: officials

SEOUL, Aug. 1 (Yonhap) -- The upcoming three-way summit at the U.S. Camp David presidential retreat will serve as an opportunity for the leaders of South Korea, Japan and the United States to have more casual get-together time such as going for strolls, officials said Tuesday.

The White House earlier announced that U.S. President Joe Biden will host his South Korean counterpart, Yoon Suk Yeol, and Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida at Camp David, a presidential retreat on the outskirts of Washington, on Aug. 18.

"The three leaders will have various opportunities to build friendship, such as going for strolls," a presidential official told Yonhap News Agency, adding that the detailed schedule at the compound is under discussion.

It is largely expected that the three leaders will dine together with their wives, and there is also the possibility of Biden's pet surprisingly showing up at the event.

"There will be several meaningful scenes that showcase friendship between the leaders," a government official said on the condition of anonymity.

It will be the first time for the three leaders to meet solely for the purpose of a trilateral summit, not on the margins of a multilateral gathering. The latest trilateral summit took place during the G7 summit in Hiroshima in May.

The size of the entourage is expected to be small-scale, and the rest of the presidential staff could possibly stay back in Washington, which is about 100 kilometers away from Camp David.

Camp David, which opened in 1942, has traditionally been a place for U.S. presidents to relax with their families to host foreign leaders. In 2008, former South Korean President Lee Myung-bak visited Camp David for a summit with former U.S. counterpart George W. Bush. Lee spent a day at the camp, and the two leaders rode on a golf cart there.

Yoon will reportedly be visiting Camp David for a day trip and will also hold bilateral summits with each leader separately.

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