
Top diplomats of S. Korea, US, Japan reaffirm 'resolute' commitment to 'complete denuclearization' of N. Korea
The top diplomats of South Korea, the United States and Japan on Saturday reaffirmed their "resolute" commitment to the "complete denuclearization" of North Korea and decried "systematic, widespread and gross" violations of human rights in the reclusive state, a joint statement said.
Foreign Minister Cho Tae-yul, US Secretary of State Marco Rubio and Japanese Foreign Minister Takeshi Iwaya met trilaterally on the margins of a security forum in Munich, Germany, where they sent a "strong" warning against North Korean provocations and stressed their commitment to reinforcing the global anti-Pyongyang sanctions regime.
During the first three-way talks since Rubio's inauguration last month, the US side reaffirmed its "ironclad" security commitments to South Korea and Japan, "backed by America's unmatched military strength, including its nuclear capabilities."
"The Secretary and Foreign Ministers reaffirmed their resolute commitment to the complete denuclearization of the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK) in accordance with the U.N. Security Council Resolutions (UNSCRs)," the three countries said in the statement. DPRK is short for the North's official name.
"They expressed their serious concerns over and the need to address together the DPRK's nuclear and missile programs, malicious cyber activities including cryptocurrency thefts, and increasing military cooperation with Russia," they added.
The countries went on to say, "They sent a strong warning that the United States, Japan, and the Republic of Korea will not tolerate any provocations or threats to their homelands. They decided to strengthen their trilateral efforts through close policy coordination at all levels."
The statement came amid lingering questions over how the Trump administration will deal with the trilateral partnership that rose to new heights following the countries' Camp David summit, the first standalone three-way summit in August 2023.
Since the landmark summit, the three countries have deepened cooperation by launching a system for the real-time sharing of North Korean ballistic missile warning data; creating a trilateral military exercise named "Freedom Edge"; and installing a trilateral secretariat to institutionalize their cooperation, among other efforts.
During Saturday's talks, the US restated its "extended deterrence" pledge to mobilize the full range of its military capabilities, including nuclear arms, to defend the Asian allies.
"The United States reaffirmed its commitment to strengthen extended deterrence cooperation through the ROK-US and Japan-US Alliances," they said. ROK is short for South Korea's official name, the Republic of Korea.
The three sides heaped opprobrium on the North's human rights record.
"The Secretary and Foreign Ministers condemned the long-standing and ongoing systematic, widespread, and gross violations of human rights in and by the DPRK," they said.
"They also committed to maintain and strengthen the international sanctions regime against the DPRK by responding firmly to violations and evasions of the relevant UNSCRs and applying pressure on Pyongyang to halt illicit activities that fund its nuclear and missile programs."
On the economic security front, the three sides announced their intention to strengthen energy security by unleashing the US' "affordable and reliable" energy and natural resources, and by enhancing energy cooperation, particularly in liquefied natural gas, in a "mutually beneficial" manner, the statement read.
They also affirmed their commitment to closer cooperation on developing critical and emerging technologies.
"They committed to deepening cooperation on artificial intelligence, semiconductors, quantum science and technology, cybersecurity, biotechnology and its enabling infrastructure, as well as digital information and communications technology infrastructure," the countries said.
Moreover, the three diplomats issued a message against China on key geopolitical issues as they emphasized the importance of maintaining peace and stability across the Taiwan Strait as an "indispensable element of security and prosperity for the international community."
"They encouraged the peaceful resolution of cross-Strait issues and opposed any attempts to unilaterally force or coerce changes to the status quo," the countries said. "They also expressed support for Taiwan's meaningful participation in appropriate international organizations."
The trio voiced their strong opposition to "any unilateral attempts to change the status quo by force or coercion in the waters of the Indo-Pacific, including the South China Sea."
"They emphasized their commitment to maintaining a free and open Indo-Pacific and ensuring international law prevails," they said. (Yonhap)
Hashtags

Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles


Korea Herald
2 hours ago
- Korea Herald
Yoon, wife to face special counsel probes
577 prosecutors, investigators allotted to look into ex-first couple President Lee Jae-myung's Cabinet on Tuesday passed bills to open three special counsel investigations into former President Yoon Suk Yeol and his wife Kim Keon Hee. The bills are intended to "end the insurrection" that the Lee administration and the ruling Democratic Party of Korea accuse Yoon of instigating with his short-lived martial law decree on Dec. 3, 2024. At the second Cabinet meeting since Lee took office last week, the Democratic Party-led bills passed into law to bring together 577 prosecutors and investigators in total to investigate the former first couple. The combined size of the legal teams involved in the investigations is comparable to a district attorney's office. With Tuesday's passage, a special counsel investigation will look into if Yoon committed either insurrection or treason by trying to impose martial law. Yoon declared martial law late in the evening of Dec. 3, only to lift it six hours later following a National Assembly resolution that opposed it. The Democratic Party contends that Yoon attempted to provoke military action from North Korea with his hawkish policies to lay the groundwork for the declaration of martial law. Yoon's Ministry of National Defense playing anti-Kim Jong-un regime broadcasts along the inter-Korean borders from June 2024 was one example of the former administration deliberately seeking military confrontation with North Korea, according to the Democratic Party. Before their resumption last year, the border broadcasts had been used by the South Korean military as a psychological warfare tactic in the past, before they were halted in 2018 under then-President Moon Jae-in. The Democratic Party also claims that Yoon sent drones across the border into North Korea in October 2024, echoing Pyongyang's accusations that the South Korean military was behind the alleged drone infiltration. Yoon allegedly attempting to instigate an armed conflict with North Korea in the run-up to his martial law decree qualifies as "treason," the Democratic Party claimed, on top of being a "rebellion against the Constitution, which is to say, insurrection." Yoon's wife Kim is set to face a separate special counsel investigation that will scrutinize allegations she was involved in the then-ruling People Power Party's nomination of candidates for a National Assembly seat in the 2022 by-election. Another special counsel investigation would revisit the death of a Marine in July 2023. Cpl. Chae Su-geun, 20, died when he was swept away in moving water during a search and rescue operation to locate flood victims in a rain-swollen river in Yecheon, North Gyeongsang Province. The Democratic Party says Yoon's presidential office tried to impede the preliminary probe into Chae's death at the time to cover up possible wrongdoing at the top. Special counsels will be given as long as 170 days to investigate Yoon and his wife. Yoon was removed from office on April 4 in a unanimous ruling by the Constitutional Court over the martial law debacle, leading South Korea to hold an early presidential election on June 3.


Korea Herald
4 hours ago
- Korea Herald
President Lee likely to meet chaebol chiefs ahead of G7
President Lee Jae-myung is expected to meet with the heads of top conglomerates and major economic organizations later this week to review economic issues ahead of his trip to Canada for the Group of Seven summit. According to industry sources on Tuesday, the presidential office is coordinating a meeting as early as Thursday or Friday. Final details and participants are yet to be confirmed. The chiefs of the top five chaebols are expected to attend, including Samsung Electronics Chair Lee Jae-yong; SK Group Chair Chey Tae-won, who heads the Korea Chamber of Commerce and Industry; Hyundai Motor Group Executive Chair Chung Euisun; LG Group Chair Koo Kwang-mo and Lotte Group Chair Shin Dong-bin. Leaders of major business lobbies are also expected to join, including Ryu Jin, chair of the Federation of Korean Industries; Sohn Kyung-shik, chair of the Korea Enterprises Federation; Yoon Jin-sik, chair of the Korea International Trade Association; Kim Ki-moon, chair of the Korea Federation of SMEs; and Choi Jin-shik, chair of the Federation of Middle Market Enterprises of Korea. The gathering appears to be aimed at assessing both domestic and global economic trends and listening to the concerns of the business community, especially ahead of President Lee's attendance at the G7 summit in Alberta, Canada, from June 15-17. While South Korea is not a G7 member state, it has been invited to the expanded sessions in recent years. On the sidelines of the summit, Lee may hold bilateral talks with US President Donald Trump and Japanese Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba. A trilateral summit between the three could also take place. President Lee has made economic recovery his top priority and formed an emergency economic task force on his first day in office. The upcoming meeting with leaders of chaebols and business lobbies is expected to cover strategies to boost domestic investment and stimulate the local economy. The discussions could also touch on growing concerns over US tariffs and their impact on South Korea's export-dependent industries.
![[Editorial] Build confidence](/_next/image?url=https%3A%2F%2Fall-logos-bucket.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fkoreaherald.com.png&w=48&q=75)
Korea Herald
12 hours ago
- Korea Herald
[Editorial] Build confidence
Lee should use G7 summit to cement US alliance, free world's trust in Korea President Lee Jae-myung will attend the summit of the Group of Seven advanced countries in Alberta, Canada, from June 15-17. It will mark Lee's debut on the stage of summit diplomacy 11 days after he took office Wednesday. South Korea is not a G7 member state but was invited to participate as an observer. The summit is an opportunity for Lee to start building confidence with leaders of the seven major countries -- Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, the UK and the US. Particularly, his first face-to-face meeting with US President Donald Trump will be significant. The presidential office is said to be pushing to hold bilateral talks with Trump on the sidelines of the summit. As Japanese Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba is scheduled to attend the summit, a trilateral meeting among leaders of South Korea, the US and Japan could also be held. Lee had his first phone call with Trump Friday night, three days after his presidential inauguration. Trump congratulated Lee on his election victory, according to the presidential office. But considering that Lee's predecessors first spoke on the phone with US presidents usually on the day they won their elections or the day after, the Lee-Trump phone call came exceptionally late. Shortly after the presidential election, the White House said the US remains concerned about and opposed to Chinese interference and influence in democracies around the world. It is uncertain if the US is suspicious of Lee's past remarks about or attitude toward China. Last year, he said something to the effect that the Taiwan Strait issues are none of South Korea's business. The US alliance, together with three-way cooperation among Seoul, Washington and Tokyo, is the bedrock of South Korea's national security. Lee should reaffirm and further strengthen the alliance. That's also a way to gain the confidence of G7 leaders. Cooperation with the US across almost all areas, including diplomacy, security and economy, is indispensable for South Korea. If trust is weak between the South Korean and US leaders, it will become difficult to find breakthroughs on key pending issues such as defense cost-sharing and trade negotiations. High-level communications are more urgent than ever to prevent mutual misunderstandings and to keep Korea's security environment stable. Smooth communication stems from unshakable trust among leaders. These days, Washington emphasizes strategic flexibility for US Forces Korea. This suggests the possibility of extending their role beyond the defense of South Korea. It would not be an exaggeration to say that the US has focused all its diplomatic, military and economic strategies on checking China. Seoul used to walk a tightrope between Washington and Beijing in seeking to maximize its national interests, but the Trump administration is not likely to condone such behavior anymore. In addition to a possible one-on-one meeting between Lee and Trump on the sidelines of the G7 summit, the presidential office in Seoul is reportedly pushing for Lee to visit Washington. The sooner he visits Washington, the better, because there have not been summit communications for quite a long time. South Korea was invited to the G7 summit thanks to the country's elevated international stature. This means that it should live up to the free world's expectations. Lee should assure them that South Korea is on the same side as their countries. In the meantime, the country has been invited to the NATO summit in The Hague, the Netherlands, on June 24 and 25. The presidential office said that Lee has not yet decided whether to attend it. NATO is strengthening dialogue and cooperation with its four Asia Pacific partners: South Korea, Japan, Australia and New Zealand. Some of NATO member states are emerging markets for South Korea's defense and nuclear power industries. Maintaining friendly relations with them could be a shortcut to realizing the pragmatism that the new administration claims to advocate. Lee should positively consider attending the summit.