Singapore: South Korea, the United States, and Japan have reaffirmed their commitment to the complete denuclearization of North Korea during their first high-level diplomatic talks since the launch of the Lee Jae Myung government. The discussions took place on the sidelines of the foreign ministers' meeting hosted by the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN).
According to Yonhap News Agency, the 40-minute talks involved First Vice Foreign Minister Park Yoon-joo, U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio, and Japanese Foreign Minister Takeshi Iwaya. This marked the first trilateral meeting among senior diplomats from the three nations following the leadership change in South Korea earlier in June. Park represented the foreign minister at the ASEAN forum, as the appointment process is still ongoing.
The South Korean foreign ministry released a statement noting that the three nations reaffirmed their resolute commitment to North Korea's complete denuclearization. They agreed to maintain strong deterrence through close trilateral coordination and enhance security cooperation among South Korea, the United States, and Japan. Park emphasized South Korea's efforts to ease inter-Korean tensions and resume dialogue with North Korea, seeking close cooperation with the U.S. and Japan.
Since assuming office, Lee Jae Myung has advocated for keeping communication channels with North Korea open to pursue dialogue while maintaining robust deterrence against nuclear and missile threats through the alliance with the U.S. Park conveyed to Rubio and Iwaya that the trilateral talks reflect Seoul's commitment to advancing the partnership under the Lee government's pragmatic and national interest-oriented diplomacy.
The discussions also addressed cooperation in the Indo-Pacific region, focusing on promoting peace and stability. Additionally, the talks included ways to boost cooperation in areas such as energy and shipbuilding, sectors identified by U.S. President Donald Trump as having strong potential for collaboration with South Korea. The three countries also agreed to deepen cooperation in emerging technologies, including artificial intelligence, and ensure stability in supply chains for critical minerals.
State Department spokesperson Tammy Bruce highlighted the importance of the meeting in strengthening the indispensable trilateral partnership and promoting regional peace. She emphasized the critical nature of trilateral cooperation for Indo-Pacific stability and defense and deterrence bolstering. The diplomats discussed enhancing economic cooperation, including trusted digital infrastructure and shipbuilding, and efforts to reinforce the security and resilience of critical technologies and supply chains.
The diplomats expressed their support for further institutionalizing trilateral collaboration as a platform to advance global peace and security. The previous trilateral talks among the top diplomats of the three countries occurred in Brussels in April during the North Atlantic Treaty Organization's foreign ministers' meeting.