Asahi ran a report from Seoul claiming that it has learned from several sources that the United States, Japan, and South Korea are studying the possibility of holding a trilateral leader-level meeting by taking advantage of the PyeongChang Winter Olympics. The paper conjectured that the idea is intended to reconfirm the U.S.-ROK alliance and security cooperation between the three nations in response to North Korea’s conciliatory approach toward South Korea. The paper wrote that Seoul may express reservations because Pyongyang will likely react strongly. The paper also wrote that the United States has informally sounded out Japan on the idea of Vice President Pence, Prime Minister Abe, and President Moon holding talks when the Vice President and PM Abe visit South Korea to attend the opening ceremony for the Olympics on Feb. 9. The paper speculated that the U.S. made the proposal because it is concerned about its alliance with South Korea and trilateral security cooperation with Tokyo and Seoul.