한미일 외교장관 “北미사일 규탄•대화 촉구”…한일 역사문제는 냉랭
In a trilateral meeting that just wrapped up, South Korea, the United States and Japan have condemned North Korea’s missile tests… and called for the regime to return to dialogue.
Their top diplomats met in Hawaii on Saturday, local time, also discussing issues related to Ukraine and the Taiwan Strait.
Yoon Jung-min reports.
The chief diplomats of South Korea, the U.S. and Japan have condemned North Korea’s recent series of missile tests, while reiterating their calls for dialogue and diplomacy.
South Korea’s Chung Eui-yong, Antony Blinken from the U.S., and Japan’s Yoshimasa Hayashi met in Hawaii on Saturday, local time.
While the U.S. made it clear that sanctions will continue, Blinken stressed yet again that the U.S. has no hostile intent.
“I want to underscore we have no hostile intent toward the DPRK. We remain open to dialogue without preconditions. If Pyeongyang chooses that path.”
In a joint statement, they called for full implementation by the international community of UN Security Council resolutions on North Korea, calling the regime’s activities “unlawful.”
Not just missile launches, but the North has recently signaled a possible resumption of nuclear and ICBM tests.
“The DPRK is making its own decisions and has been talking about the possibility of lifting its self-imposed moratorium on missile launches. We are deeply concerned about that. And I strongly urge the DPRK not to put its words into action.”
Sources say the South Korean side suggested to the U.S. that additional measures be taken to engage with North Korea, but they did not disclose further details.
While emphasizing trilateral cooperation on the matter, they also reaffirmed three-way cooperation on economy, Indo-Pacific strategy and the rules-based international order.
In the statement, they emphasized “peace and stability” in the Taiwan Strait, an issue that’s sensitive for China.
Also discussed were the ongoing tensions over Ukraine, adding that the three countries are committed to working together to deter further Russian escalation.
Along with the U.S. Secretary, the ministers from South Korea and Japan agreed on many other issues, including cooperation on Myanmar and ending COVID-19, but there were things on which they could not quite see eye to eye: historical issues.
Chung met separately with Hayashi before the three-way meeting, where he expressed “strong regret” over Japan’s push to get the mines on the Japanese island of Sado… listed as UNESCO world heritage… despite Koreans having been subjected to forced labor there by Japan during World War Two.
Chung also called for Tokyo to retract its curbs on key exports to South Korea… while reiterating Seoul’s stance on Japan compensating the Korean victims of its use of wartime forced labor and sexual enslavement.
Despite these thorny issues, the two sides reaffirmed their intention to cooperate… to restore people-to-people exchanges to the pre-pandemic level.
Yoon Jung-min, Arirang News.
#SouthKorea #US #Japan
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2022-02-13, 18:00 (KST)
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