South Korean President Yoon Suk-yeol stressed that closer ties with Japan will deter North Korean invasion on Tuesday, in a speech to mark the anniversary of Korea’s liberation from Japanese colonial rule.

In his live-streamed remarks, Yoon emphasized that Seoul and Tokyo share “universal values” based on liberal democracy, while framing not only the DPRK but his political opponents as “anti-state forces that blindly follow communist totalitarianism.”

“Korea and Japan are now partners who share universal values and pursue common interests,” Yoon said, underlining the importance of trilateral security cooperation with the U.S. such as joint reconnaissance and information sharing.