The leaders of South Korea and Japan reaffirmed their countries’ commitment to the “denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula” on Tuesday, following a summit that otherwise emphasized economic concerns over the security threat from North Korea.

During a press conference after their summit in the Japanese city of Nara, South Korean President Lee Jae Myung and Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi stressed the need for continued bilateral cooperation to preserve regional peace and stability, alongside trilateral coordination with the U.S.

“At this civilizational turning point, deepening and broadening cooperation between South Korea and Japan is an urgent task of our time