South Korea, US, Japan reaffirm 'resolute' commitment to complete denuclearization of North Korea (Lead)

Kuala Lumpur, July 11 (IANS) South Korea, the United States and Japan reaffirmed Friday their "resolute" commitment to the complete denuclearization of North Korea, as they held their first high-level diplomatic talks since the launch of the Lee Jae Myung government.

The 40-minute talks took place among First Vice Foreign Minister Park Yoon-joo, US Secretary of State Marco Rubio and Japanese Foreign Minister Takeshi Iwaya, on the margins of the foreign ministers' meeting hosted by the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN).

It marked the first trilateral talks among the senior diplomats of the three countries since the change of leadership in South Korea in early June. Park was attending the ASEAN forum on behalf of the foreign minister, as the appointment process is still in progress.

"The three sides reaffirmed their unwavering commitment to the complete denuclearization of North Korea and agreed to maintain a strong deterrence based on close trilateral coordination, while further enhancing security cooperation among South Korea, the United States, and Japan," Seoul's foreign ministry said in a press release.

Park also explained South Korea's efforts to ease inter-Korean tensions and resume dialogue with the North, calling for close cooperation with the US and Japan to this end.

Since taking office, Lee has called for keeping channels with the North open to pursue dialogue, while maintaining strong deterrence against the North's nuclear and missile threats through the alliance with the US, Yonhap news agency reported.

Park told Rubio and Iwaya that holding the three-way talks reflects Seoul's commitment to further advancing trilateral partnership with the US and Japan under the Lee government's "pragmatic" and "national interest-oriented" diplomacy.

Park also expressed hope that the three countries will "continue to keep a united front and achieve tangible and substantive outcomes" through their partnership.

The three sides agreed to work together to promote peace and stability in the Indo-Pacific region.

Friday's talks also included discussions on ways to boost cooperation in areas such as energy and shipbuilding - sectors cited by US President Donald Trump as having strong potential for collaboration with South Korea.

They also agreed to deepen cooperation in emerging technologies, including artificial intelligence, and work together to ensure stability in supply chains, such as for critical minerals, the ministry said.

The previous trilateral talks among the top diplomats of the three countries took place in Brussels in April on the margins of the foreign ministers' meeting of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization.

--IANS

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