Manila: The top diplomats of South Korea, the United States, and Japan convened in Manila to discuss strategies for enhancing trilateral security and economic cooperation, with a focus on North Korea's increasing interactions with China and Russia.

According to Yonhap News Agency, South Korean Foreign Minister Cho Hyun, U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio, and Japanese Foreign Minister Toshimitsu Motegi held trilateral discussions on the sidelines of ministerial meetings related to the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN). These discussions are part of the ASEAN Regional Forum (ARF), the East Asia Summit (EAS) foreign ministers' meeting, and other related gatherings in the Philippine capital.

The meeting comes two weeks after their previous discussions at the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) summit on July 7. The agenda includes a range of issues such as developments on the Korean Peninsula, economic security, and responses to transnational online crimes, as stated by ministry officials.

Ministry spokesperson Park Il highlighted that the ministers would share assessments of North Korea's recent diplomatic engagements with Russia and China, aiming to determine effective responses. South Korea has emphasized that these growing exchanges should foster peace and stability on the Korean Peninsula and encourage North Korea to return to dialogue.

North Korea is expected to skip the ARF for the second consecutive year, opting for bilateral diplomacy with Russia and China over multilateral engagements. During their earlier meeting this month, the diplomats reaffirmed their commitment to the denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula and pledged to maintain efforts toward dialogue with Pyongyang.

Additionally, the three nations signed a memorandum of cooperation to establish a framework for accelerating the deployment of small modular reactors (SMRs) in third countries, specifically in the Indo-Pacific region.

The meeting also occurs amid renewed tensions in the Middle East, where clashes between the U.S. and Iran have persisted after a preliminary peace agreement collapsed. U.S. President Donald Trump has urged allies, including South Korea, to contribute to securing the Strait of Hormuz or otherwise aid in regional stability, as maritime traffic has been disrupted since the conflict's onset in late February.