By Kim Han-joo Yonhap News Agency, South Korea's leading newswire service, is set to hold its annual forum Friday to discuss cooperation between South Korea, the United States and Japan in light of increasing military ties between Russia and North Korea. The symposium, co-hosted with Seoul's unification ministry, will be held at the Shilla Hotel in Seoul under the theme "Status and Challenges of Korea-US-Japan Trilateral Cooperation." The forum takes place amid a complex security environment, underscored by a recently signed treaty between Russian President Vladimir Putin and North Korean leader Kim Jong-un. This agreement is considered the strongest of its kind since the end of the Cold War. Senior diplomats, officials, lawmakers and security experts from South Korea, the United States and Japan will be at the event. Opening remarks will be made by Seong Ghi-hong, CEO and president of Yonhap News Agency, followed by video messages from President Yoon Suk Yeol and Mira Rapp-Hooper, the U.S. National Sec urity Council senior director for East Asia and Oceania. U.S. Ambassador Philip Goldberg and Japanese Ambassador Koichi Mizushima will also deliver speeches. Unification Minister Kim Yung-ho will give the welcoming address, followed by keynote speeches from Defense Minister Shin Won-sik; Neil Koprowski, commander of U.S. Naval Forces Korea; and Foreign Minister Cho Tae-yul. The forum will feature two comprehensive sessions. The first session, titled "Korea's Choice in the Middle of the Global Complex Crisis and the Changing Situation in Northeast Asia," will explore the complex geopolitical landscape. Panelists include Robert Edwin Kelly, a professor at Pusan National University, and Shinsuke J. Sugiyama, former vice minister for foreign affairs of Japan. The second session will focus on inter-Korean issues under the theme "North Korea Declares 'Two States' ... A Breakthrough in Inter-Korean Relations." In his opening remarks, Seong will express the hope that the symposium provides a clearer perspective on the intricate global situation and reiterate Yonhap's commitment to supporting the journey toward overcoming global crises and fostering joint prosperity among the three nations. Source: Yonhap News Agency