The foreign ministers of South Korea, the United States, and Japan reaffirmed their commitment to North Korea's complete denuclearization while urging the country to return to dialogue.
On September 21, South Korean Foreign Minister Cho Hyun met with U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio and Japanese Foreign Minister Toshimitsu Motegi at the Lotte New York Palace Hotel, where they agreed on a joint statement.
The statement reiterated their strong commitment to North Korea's complete denuclearization in accordance with United Nations Security Council resolutions and the prohibition of support for North Korea's nuclear and ballistic missile programs. It also confirmed that the path to dialogue remains open and called on North Korea to return to negotiations while committing to continue efforts to promote peace and stability on the Korean Peninsula.
The joint statement welcomed the activities of the UN Multinational Sanctions Monitoring Team (MSMT) and progress in addressing North Korean cyber threats, while emphasizing the need for immediate resolution of issues related to abductees, military captives, and separated families.
Additionally, the ministers discussed peace and stability in the Taiwan Strait and expressed their commitment to a coordinated response regarding global supply chains. They encouraged a peaceful resolution to cross-strait issues and opposed any attempts to unilaterally change the status quo, while expressing support for Taiwan's meaningful participation in appropriate international organizations.
They also highlighted the importance of freedom of navigation and overflight in the Indo-Pacific and globally, as well as adherence to international law as reflected in the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS) and the enhancement of maritime security.
The U.S. emphasized its unwavering defense commitments to South Korea and Japan and reaffirmed its extended deterrence commitments.
The three ministers welcomed cooperation with the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) to combat organized crime, including the 'Southeast Asia Fraud Center,' and agreed to continue collaboration under the 'Three-Nation Maritime Security and Enforcement Cooperation Framework,' as well as on Arctic issues.
Regarding global supply chains, the ministers stated they firmly oppose harmful economic coercion and non-market policies and practices that lead to harmful overproduction and market distortions, including arbitrary export restrictions that disrupt supply chains. They committed to maintaining free and transparent trade and securing critical supply chains.
To this end, they agreed to strengthen early warning systems for third-country supply chains and welcomed the launch of a new economic security consultative body among the three countries.
They also announced plans to accelerate the deployment of small modular reactors (SMRs) in third countries, following the implementation plan of the memorandum of cooperation (MOC) adopted on July 7.
* This article has been translated by AI.
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