South Korea, US, Japan Pledge Strong Unity Against North Korea’s Nuclear Threat

South Korea, the US, and Japan held their first high-level diplomatic talks on Friday since South Korea’s new government took office. The meeting lasted 40 minutes and was held during the ASEAN foreign ministers’ gathering in Kuala Lumpur.

South Korea’s First Vice Foreign Minister Park Yoon-joo met with US Secretary of State Marco Rubio and Japanese Foreign Minister Takeshi Iwaya. They promised to work together to completely remove North Korea’s nuclear weapons and to strengthen their security cooperation.

Park shared South Korea’s plans to reduce tensions and restart talks with North Korea. President Lee Jae Myung’s government wants to keep communication open with the North while also staying strong against its nuclear and missile threats through its US alliance.

Park told the US and Japan that these talks show South Korea’s commitment to strong partnerships with both countries through practical and national interest-focused diplomacy. He hoped their cooperation would bring real results for peace in the region.

The three countries also agreed to promote peace and stability in the Indo-Pacific region and discussed working together in sectors like energy, shipbuilding, and new technologies such as artificial intelligence. They want to ensure stable supply chains for important materials like critical minerals.

Their last similar meeting was held in Brussels in April during the NATO foreign ministers’ conference.