North Korea: US, Japan, South Korea to meet for talks on nuclear stand-off
- South Korea’s foreign ministry confirmed the talks will take place in Tokyo and also cover cooperation between the three countries
- The Biden administration has said it will explore diplomacy to achieve North Korean denuclearisation, but has shown no willingness to ease sanctions
The three countries have been discussing ways to break a stand-off with North Korea over its nuclear weapons and ballistic missile programmes, which have drawn international sanctions.
Noh Kyu-duk, Seoul’s special representative for Korean peninsula peace and security affairs, will travel to Japan on Sunday for a three-day visit, the ministry said in a statement.
While there, he will meet US envoy for North Korea Sung Kim, and Takehiro Funakoshi, director general of the Japanese foreign ministry’s Asian and Oceanian Affairs Bureau.
The officials will discuss the North Korean nuclear issue as well as cooperation between their countries, Seoul said.
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“The three countries are expected to have in-depth discussions on ways to promote cooperation to stably manage the situation of the Korean peninsula and resume the peninsula peace process at an early date,” the ministry said.
A statement from the US State Department said Sung Kim would travel to Tokyo from September 13–15 and would discuss “the US commitment to the complete denuclearisation of the Korean peninsula” and the issue of Japanese citizens abducted by North Korea.
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During a visit to Seoul in August, Sung Kim said he was ready to meet with North Korean officials “anywhere, at any time”.
Pyongyang has also said it is open to diplomacy, but that it sees no sign of policy changes from the United States, citing issues such as sanctions as well as joint military drills with South Korea.
