South Korea, Japan to hold vice foreign ministerial talks on North Korea, bilateral issues
Seoul, Nov 2 (IANS) Vice foreign ministers of South Korea and Japan were set to hold talks focused on North Korea and other regional issues, as well as ways to enhance the countries’ bilateral cooperation.
First Vice Foreign Minister Park Yoon-joo was scheduled to meet with his Japanese counterpart, Takehiro Funakoshi, in Japan later in the day for the 17th bilateral strategic dialogue, according to South Korean foreign ministry officials.
“The meeting is expected to cover a range of issues, including bilateral relations, as well as regional and global affairs,” a ministry official said.
The two sides are expected to exchange views on North Korea’s evolving nuclear and missile programs and ways to strengthen cooperation on the issue within the framework of trilateral cooperation involving the United States.
During a meeting in Atlanta last week on the sidelines of a Group of 20 (G20) foreign ministers’ meeting, South Korean Foreign Minister Cho Hyun, US Secretary of State Marco Rubio and Japanese Foreign Minister Toshimitsu Motegi “reaffirmed their resolute commitment to the complete denuclearisation” of North Korea and the full implementation of UN Security Council resolutions, the US State Department said earlier.
They also agreed to maintain a robust deterrence posture and pursue peace through dialogue and diplomacy, Yonhap news agency reports.
The vice ministers are also expected to discuss ways to strengthen cooperation on economic security, including small modular reactors (SMRs), supply chains and Arctic-related issues.
The upcoming dialogue would also focus on coordinating the timing and venue of the next summit between President Lee Jae Myung and Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi.
Following a summit in the southeastern South Korean city of Andong in May, Takaichi mentioned a regional hot spring town in Japan as a possible venue for their next meeting. The two governments have since been coordinating the timing and location.
Seoul and Tokyo have reaffirmed their commitment to maintaining the positive momentum in bilateral ties and strengthening future-oriented cooperation through regular summit meetings under their shuttle diplomacy initiative.
–IANS
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