Kuala lumpur: South Korea, the United States, and Japan convened for trilateral ministerial talks during a multilateral gathering in Malaysia to discuss coordination on pivotal regional and global issues. This meeting, held on the sidelines of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations' foreign ministers' meetings, was confirmed by Seoul officials.

According to Yonhap News Agency, First Vice Foreign Minister Park Yoon-joo represented South Korea, joining U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio and Japanese Foreign Minister Takeshi Iwaya. This marked the first high-level diplomatic talks among the three nations since the Lee Jae Myung government began in early June. Park attended the forum in place of the foreign minister, whose appointment is still pending.

The discussions lasted approximately 40 minutes and underscored the significance the three countries place on their trilateral partnership, which was strengthened under their previous administrations. The participants reaffirmed their commitment to coordinating on key shared issues, such as the denuclearization of North Korea and efforts to address its nuclear threats.

They also addressed North Korea's increasing cyberthreats and sanctions-evasion activities, while reiterating calls for Pyongyang to return to dialogue. Additionally, Friday's meeting likely included talks on China's growing assertiveness and the importance of ensuring security around the Taiwan Strait.

A joint statement from their previous trilateral talks in Brussels in April urged an end to actions destabilizing security around the Taiwan Strait, serving as an implicit caution to China regarding its military activities in the area. Meanwhile, Seoul is negotiating with Washington to mitigate the impact of impending tariff hikes on its export-driven economy. U.S. President Donald Trump has informed Seoul and Tokyo of "reciprocal" tariffs set to take effect on August 1, imposing 25 percent duties on their goods. This move follows a 90-day delay from the original July 9 deadline.