The U.S., South Korea and Japan pledged to deepen security and economic cooperation during a trilateral foreign ministers’ meeting in New York on Monday, adopting a joint statement that underscored their alignment on regional challenges. ROK Foreign Minister Cho Hyun met U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio and Japanese Foreign Minister Iwaya Takeshi on the sidelines of the UN General Assembly and reaffirmed commitments to strengthen defense ties, including regular multi-domain “Freedom Edge” exercises, and to maintain a united front on the complete denuclearization of North Korea. The three ministers opposed unlawful maritime claims in the South China Sea,