Foreign Ministers of South Korea, US, Japan to Meet in US on October 30, Focusing on Korean Peninsula

The foreign ministers of South Korea, the United States, and Japan will meet in the United States today (October 30, local time) to discuss Korean Peninsula issues, regional and global affairs, and ways to cooperate on economic security.

According to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Foreign Minister Cho Hyun is scheduled to hold a trilateral foreign ministers' meeting this afternoon with U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio and Japanese Foreign Minister Toshimitsu Motegi on the sidelines of the Group of 20 (G20) Foreign Ministers' Meeting in Atlanta, U.S.

This marks their fourth meeting in four months, following gatherings on the margins of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) Summit in Türkiye on July 7, the ASEAN Regional Forum (ARF) in the Philippines on July 22, and the UN General Assembly in New York on September 21, coming about a month after their previous session.

During the meeting, the top diplomats of the three nations are expected to assess North Korea's recent ballistic missile launches and the deepening ties between North Korea and China following North Korean leader Kim Jong-un's visit to China, while discussing coordination measures regarding Pyongyang.

With the South Korean government emphasizing its role as a "pacemaker" to resume dialogue between North Korea and the U.S., attention is focused on whether they will exchange views on ways to encourage North Korea to return to dialogue.

Wi Sung-lac, director of the National Security Office, said during a parliamentary audit by the National Assembly's House Steering Committee the previous day, "As President Trump is expressing willingness for dialogue (between the U.S. and North Korea), we will do our part to ensure that this momentum leads to actual talks."

Earlier, during their meeting in New York on September 21, the three foreign ministers reaffirmed their commitment to the complete denuclearization of North Korea and urged Pyongyang to return to dialogue.

In a joint statement at the time, they emphasized that the path to dialogue remains open, reaffirmed their commitment to preventing any support for revenue generation that funds North Korea's nuclear and ballistic missile programs, and welcomed the activities of the Multilateral Sanctions Monitoring Team (MSMT) as well as progress in countering North Korean cyber threats.

In addition, regional affairs, including the Taiwan Strait, and cooperation on energy and economic security are expected to be addressed as major agenda items.

During last month's meeting, the three nations discussed peace and stability in the Taiwan Strait, voiced opposition to economic coercion such as arbitrary export restrictions, and agreed to strengthen an early warning system for supply chains.

Taking the opportunity of the G20 Foreign Ministers' Meeting, Minister Cho also plans to hold bilateral talks with major European nations.
 
(Photo courtesy of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Yonhap News)
※ Please note: This article was translated by AI and may contain errors.