From left, South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol, US President Joe Biden and Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida meet at Camp David on August, 2023 (Photo: AP)

The proposal was made through US Secretary of State Antony Blinken to South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol during a dinner hosted by the prime minister of Laos at the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) summit Thursday.

Biden said the proposed summit would build on the "Camp David spirit," referring to the historic trilateral summit held at Camp David last year. In response, Yoon said he expects an opportunity to “meet again by the end of this year" and promised “to continue to communicate closely.”

The trilateral summit has been widely anticipated, with Washington emphasizing the importance of strengthening the three-way partnership and placing it on a strategic footing for the long term, and with the US presidential election just a month away. The potential meeting also comes at a crucial time, with Japan's new Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba taking office.