South Korea, Japan hold first vice ministerial 2+2 security talks in Seoul

South Korea and Japan on Wednesday convened their first vice ministerial-level "2+2" security consultations in Seoul, upgrading a bilateral forum that has operated since 1998 to address shared concerns over North Korea and mounting regional instability.

The elevation from director-general to vice ministerial level marks a significant step in security coordination between two of Washington's closest Pacific allies, as North Korea continues to advance its nuclear and missile programs and conditions across the Asia-Pacific shift rapidly.

South Korean First Vice Foreign Minister Park Yoon-joo and Vice Defense Minister Lee Doo-hee met in Seoul with Japanese Vice Foreign Minister Takehiro Funakoshi and Vice Defense Minister Koji Kano on Wednesday, according to The Korea Times. The gathering was the first time the long-running bilateral security consultation had been elevated to the vice ministerial level.

The forum traces its origins to 1998, when Seoul and Tokyo established the mechanism as part of efforts to institutionalize security dialogue, The Korea Times reported. Over the decades, the consultations have been suspended and resumed as the two countries navigated periodic strains in their relationship.

The most recent session before Wednesday's meeting took place in Tokyo in November 2024, the outlet noted. Officials discussed strategies to deepen bilateral cooperation as well as trilateral security coordination with the United States, which maintains major military alliances with both countries.

North Korea's continued development of nuclear weapons and ballistic missiles figured among the central agenda items, alongside the broader security environment in the Asia-Pacific region, according to The Korea Times. Participants also reviewed the implications of the ongoing Middle East crisis — including a de facto blockade of the Strait of Hormuz — for regional stability and energy security.

The upgrade of the consultation format reflects what both governments have described as a rapidly changing strategic environment and complex challenges in the Asia-Pacific, according to the report.

The Seoul talks come as both governments work to sustain security cooperation amid complex regional challenges, with the United States pressing its Pacific allies toward deeper trilateral coordination, according to The Korea Times.