WASHINGTON -- The United States supports South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol's vision for cooperative relations between Seoul and Tokyo, a state department spokesperson said Wednesday.

Department Press Secretary Ned Price said the US also applauds both South Korea and Japan for their recent efforts to improve their bilateral relations.

"Let me say generally that bilateral cooperation between the United States and our treaty allies is important, but so too is trilateral cooperation," Price said when asked about South Korea-Japan relations.

Yoon made an apparent overture toward Japan on Wednesday, calling it a partner who shares the same values, while stressing the importance of cooperation between the countries in dealing with North Korean threats and other global issues.

"When it comes to President Yoon, he has articulated a vision for a more cooperative, future oriented relationship with Japan based on the shared values that those two countries have together. We very much support this vision," Price told a daily press briefing.

"And we do applaud both the Republic of Korea President Yoon and Japanese Prime Minister (Fumio) Kishida for their efforts to improve bilateral relations in recent months," he added, referring to South Korea by its official name.

The state department spokesperson also emphasized the importance of trilateral cooperation between the US, South Korea and Japan.

"We further believe US-ROK-Japan trilateral cooperation is critical to addressing the challenges that our three countries collectively are confronting in the 21st century," he said. "We will continue to move forward trilaterally to embrace opportunities, to advance our common regional and international priorities." (Yonhap)