Washington, Sept. 22 (SANA) The foreign ministers of South Korea, the United States and Japan reaffirmed their countries’ commitment to the complete denuclearization of North Korea and called on Pyongyang to resume dialogue, according to a joint statement issued during meetings on the sidelines of the UN General Assembly in New York.
South Korean Foreign Minister Cho Hyun, U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio and Japanese Foreign Minister Toshimitsu Motegi said they would continue efforts to strengthen peace and stability on the Korean Peninsula.
Yonhap News Agency said Tuesday that the ministers said the door to dialogue with North Korea remains open and reaffirmed their commitment to implementing UN Security Council resolutions related to Pyongyang’s nuclear and missile programs.
The statement welcomed the work of a multilateral sanctions monitoring team tasked with tracking violations and attempts to evade international sanctions. The ministers also discussed cyber threats linked to North Korea and ways to strengthen cooperation in addressing them.
The ministers also discussed broader regional issues, including developments in Northeast Asia and the Middle East.
They emphasized the importance of maintaining peace and stability in the Taiwan Strait, calling for the peaceful resolution of outstanding issues and opposing unilateral attempts to change the current situation. They also expressed support for freedom of navigation, air passage and trade in accordance with international law.
The three countries agreed to strengthen coordination and communication amid international developments, while addressing issues including supply chain resilience, energy security, artificial intelligence, quantum technology, digital infrastructure and biotechnology.
They also reaffirmed their commitment to implementing a trilateral cooperation memorandum signed in July aimed at accelerating the deployment of small modular nuclear reactors in other countries under safety, security and non-proliferation standards.
Earlier, on July 16, senior military officials from South Korea, the United States and Japan agreed to enhance security cooperation in response to regional challenges, including North Korea’s nuclear and missile programs, according to a statement from the South Korean military.
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