A pivotal moment looms for the trilateral partnership between South Korea, the United States and Japan, as one year has passed since the historic Camp David summit on Aug. 18, 2023, that opened a new era of strategic cooperation between the three nations.

Celebrating the milestone, the three leaders issued a joint statement, Sunday, celebrating the achievements of their trilateral security cooperation.

“We are working together to achieve our shared goals of advancing security and prosperity for the region and the world. We stand by our commitment to consult on regional challenges, provocations and threats affecting our collective interests and security,” the statement read.

The leaders highlighted key accomplishments in security areas, including the progress made by trilateral working groups focused on countering North Korea’s threats.

Yet observers say the three-way partnership now faces a test as President Yoon Suk Yeol’s Camp David partners — U.S. President Joe Biden and Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida — prepare to leave office.

Kishida announced last week that he will not 스포츠 seek reelection in the upcoming leadership contest for Japan’s ruling Liberal Democratic Party (LDP) in September. The winner of this race will become the next prime minister.

This announcement follows Biden’s decision, made about a month earlier, to withdraw from the Nov. 5 U.S. presidential race. Biden endorsed Vice President Kamala Harris to compete against Republican candidate Donald Trump.

While experts believe these leadership transitions in Washington and Tokyo may not fundamentally disrupt the trilateral relationship, they caution that Yoon may face challenges in building new ties with Biden and Kishida’s successors.

At the same time, observers view that the three-way security partnership may depend more on the next U.S. leader than its Japanese counterpart, as Tokyo’s foreign policy priorities are expected to remain consistent under the next leader.