South Korea, the United States and Japan held trilateral talks in Tokyo on North Korean affairs this week.
The talks took place on Friday, June 12, and involved Kim Sang-il, head of the South Korean foreign ministry's North Korean Nuclear Affairs Policy Division; David Wilezol, U.S. deputy assistant secretary of state for Northeast Asia; and Kengo Otsuka, deputy director-general for Asian and Oceanian affairs at the Japanese foreign ministry.
The officials shared views on recent affairs on the Korean Peninsula and in Northeast Asia. They reaffirmed their commitment to denuclearize North Korea and to ensure the implementation of U.N. and autonomous sanctions. The South Korean ministry said, "We explained our effort in easing tension and building trust in inter-Korean relations, and also exchanged views on trilateral cooperation in ensuring peace and security on the Korean Peninsula."
Japan's foreign ministry noted that the officials "expressed their serious concerns over North Korea's nuclear and missile development." They also agreed to work closely on the advancement of Russia-North Korea military cooperation and North Korea's malicious cyber activities. The three countries also held a trilateral secretariat managing board meeting that day to review progress on security, economic and technology cooperation.
