US, South Korea and Japan restate goal of North Korea's complete denuclearisation
The three allies' foreign ministers met at a G20 meeting in Atlanta amid talk of a possible Trump-Kim meeting at next month's APEC summit.
The United States, South Korea and Japan have restated their commitment to the "complete denuclearisation" of North Korea, as Pyongyang continues to reject disarmament ahead of possible talks with Washington, CNA, The Hindu, The Straits Times and The Japan Times reported.
US Secretary of State Marco Rubio, South Korean Foreign Minister Cho Hyun and Japanese Foreign Minister Toshimitsu Motegi met on Friday on the sidelines of a Group of 20 meeting in Atlanta, Georgia. According to the US State Department, the three "reaffirmed their resolute commitment to the complete denuclearisation" of the North. They also pledged "full implementation" of UN Security Council resolutions, including a ban on supporting revenue for Pyongyang's nuclear and ballistic missile programmes.
The statement came amid speculation that US President Donald Trump could meet North Korean leader Kim Jong Un at next month's APEC summit in China. Trump has repeatedly sought nuclear talks with Pyongyang and has scaled back joint military drills with South Korea. Last year he described North Korea as "sort of a nuclear power", a break with long-held US policy, and said he was "100 percent" open to a meeting. The offer went unanswered.
North Korea, which is backed by Russia and China, has written its status as a nuclear-armed state into law and repeatedly declares its arsenal permanent and irreversible, despite long-running UN sanctions.
Analysts and South Korea's spy agency say Kim may have conveyed Pyongyang's position on talks with Trump to Beijing during a recent visit to the Chinese border city of Dandong, the outlets reported. Analysts also say China may be moving towards tacit acceptance of a nuclear North, pointing to the absence of any reference to denuclearisation in statements after Kim met Chinese President Xi Jinping in June.
In Seoul, President Lee Jae Myung, who has repeatedly offered Pyongyang talks without preconditions, suggested in September that Washington seek a freeze of the North's nuclear programme rather than its immediate elimination, in return for sanctions relief. Critics say that approach risks tacitly accepting North Korea as a nuclear-armed state while letting it win relief without giving up its weapons.
On Saturday, Pyongyang denounced a joint statement by a group of nations that monitor implementation of sanctions against it. In the version carried by The Straits Times from AFP, North Korea said "the stereotyped sanctions racket of the US and the West" could not influence its position as a nuclear weapons state. The Hindu carried the same remarks, while CNA reported a shorter version of the statement.
Sources: The Japan Times, U.S., South Korea and Japan vow ‘complete’ denuclearization of North Korea; CNA, US, South Korea, Japan vow 'complete' North Korea denuclearisation; The Hindu, U.S., South Korea, Japan vow ‘complete’ North Korea’s denuclearisation; The Straits Times, US, South Korea, Japan vow ‘complete’ denuclearisation of North Korea.
