Top diplomats of South Korea, US, Japan reaffirm cooperation on North Korea

Top diplomats of South Korea, Japan and the United States hold trilateral talks on the sidelines of the U.N. General Assembly in New York, Sept. 22. Yonhap

The top diplomats of South Korea, Japan and the United States on Wednesday reaffirmed their cooperation in dealing with various regional issues, such as the denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula and climate change, the State Department said.

The meeting between South Korean Foreign Minister Chung Eui-yong, Japanese Foreign Minister Toshimitsu Motegi and U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken was held on the sidelines of the U.N. General Assembly on Wednesday (local time).

"The secretary and the foreign ministers highlighted the global scope of U.S.-Japan-ROK cooperation based upon our shared values, as well as our commitment to preserving and promoting regional peace, stability and prosperity," State Department spokesman Ned Price said of the trilateral meeting.

"The discussion included ways to deepen cooperation between our countries through multilateral efforts to tackle the pressing global challenges, such as combating the climate crisis and securing supply chains," he added in a press release.

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Blinken reaffirmed his country's commitment to the complete denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula, as well as to working closely with the two U.S. allies toward that end, according to the State Department.

"Secretary Blinken reaffirmed the United States' commitment to continued consultation and cooperation with the ROK and Japan in working toward the complete denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula," the press release said.

The trilateral meeting comes after South Korean President Moon Jae-in called for efforts to formally end the 1950-53 Korean War in his address to the U.N. General Assembly here this week.

It also comes after North Korea test-fired a short-range ballistic missile earlier this month in what the U.S. has called a violation of multiple U.N. Security Council resolutions.

The U.S. has said it continues to remain open to engaging with the North in dialogue.

John Kirby, spokesman for the U.S. Department of Defense, also said earlier Wednesday that the U.S. is open to discussions on the possibility of declaring a formal end to the Korean War.

Chung and his Japanese and U.S. counterparts last held three-way talks in London in May. (Yonhap)