How are South Korea, US, and Japan Committing to Denuclearize North Korea?

Kuala Lumpur, July 11 (NationPress) South Korea, the United States, and Japan reiterated their firm commitment to the complete denuclearization of North Korea during their inaugural high-level diplomatic discussions since the inauguration of the Lee Jae Myung administration.

The 40-minute dialogue involved First Vice Foreign Minister Park Yoon-joo, US Secretary of State Marco Rubio, and Japanese Foreign Minister Takeshi Iwaya, occurring alongside the foreign ministers' summit organized by the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN).

This meeting represented the first trilateral engagement among the senior officials of these nations following the leadership transition in South Korea in early June. Park attended the ASEAN forum as a representative for the foreign minister, whose appointment is still underway.

According to a press release from Seoul's foreign ministry, "The three parties reaffirmed their steadfast commitment to the denuclearization of North Korea and concurred on the need for robust deterrence built on close trilateral collaboration, while further improving security cooperation among South Korea, the United States, and Japan."

Park elaborated on South Korea's initiatives aimed at mitigating inter-Korean tensions and reinitiating dialogue with the North, advocating for strong collaboration with both the US and Japan.

Since taking office, Lee has emphasized the importance of maintaining open channels with the North to foster dialogue while ensuring a formidable deterrent against North Korea's nuclear and missile threats through alliances with the US, as reported by Yonhap news agency.

Park informed Rubio and Iwaya that the holding of these trilateral discussions signifies Seoul's commitment to further enhancing the partnership with the US and Japan under the Lee government’s pragmatic and national interest-driven diplomacy.

He also expressed optimism that the three nations would "continue to present a united front and achieve significant and substantive results" through their cooperation.

The participants agreed to collaborate on promoting peace and stability in the Indo-Pacific region.

Additionally, Friday's discussions covered strategies to strengthen cooperation in sectors such as energy and shipbuilding, areas highlighted by US President Donald Trump as having considerable potential for synergy with South Korea.

They also resolved to enhance collaboration in cutting-edge technologies, including artificial intelligence, and to ensure the stability of supply chains for critical minerals, as stated by the ministry.

The last trilateral engagement among the top diplomats of the three countries occurred in Brussels in April during the NATO foreign ministers' meeting.