Foreign Ministers of Japan, the US and South Korea met in New York on September 22nd. They discussed cooperation on cybersecurity, economic security and artificial intelligence.
The Trilateral Conference focused on countering North Korea’s cryptocurrency theft. Authorities also discussed joint efforts to curb Pyongyang’s nuclear and missile programmes. They further highlighted supply chain resilience and strengthened technical collaboration.
Minister deals with cryptographic theft and cyber threats
The Foreign Minister emphasized the need to stand up to North Korea’s increasingly sophisticated cyberattacks, which funds the arms program. Authorities highlighted that the Lazaro Hacking Group stole billions of dollars in 2025 alone. The group targeted decentralized finance platforms and exploited the vulnerability of smart contracts. In combination with phishing scams and supply chain violations, these attacks provide significant funding to North Korea’s nuclear and missile programs.
The Trilateral Conference also recalled a January 2025 joint statement issued by Japan, the US and South Korea. Addressed cryptocurrency theft and public-private collaboration. The North Korean threat now extends beyond traditional military territory and into cyberspace. Since 2010, regular trilateral meetings, which take place almost monthly by telephone or in person, provide a platform for coordination.
Strengthening economic safety and AI collaboration
Beyond cybersecurity, the Minister agreed to enhance economic security through a more resilient supply chain for the promotion of critical minerals and artificial intelligence technologies. They highlighted the strategic role of AI in the protection of innovation and infrastructure, in line with the collaborative research initiative and standards under discussion.
The Minister also reaffirmed the coordinated efforts of Russia and North Korea for military cooperation, reiterating the common purpose of fully denuclearizing the South Korean Peninsula.
I met with Japanese Foreign Minister Yeware Takeshi and Korean Foreign Minister Jo Hyun. Our trilateral partnerships are important to promote peace and stability in the Indo-Pacific and to promote economic and security cooperation. pic.twitter.com/ojnpyq1c7c
– Secretary Marco Rubio (@secrubio) September 22, 2025
National Strategy for Cyber Defense
Countries continue to implement their own defensive measures, deepening their trilateral cooperation.
The US Treasury Department’s Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) targets wallet addresses linked to cryptocurrency mixing services and North Korean operators, but the FBI actively tracks and recovers stolen assets.
South Korea has strengthened its anti-manny laundering (AML) requirements for domestic crypto exchanges, implemented automatic detection of suspicious transactions, and expanded its programme to train cybersecurity experts.
Japan’s national police agencies, financial services agencies and the Cabinet Cybersecurity Center work together to monitor crypto exchanges and share threat intelligence with counterparts in the US and South Korea. Collaborative exercises and information sharing mechanisms are strengthened to quickly detect and respond to emerging cyber threats.
Japan, the US and South Korea united to enhance cybersecurity, and AI first appeared in Beincrypto.
Discover more from Earlybirds Invest
Subscribe to get the latest posts sent to your email.
