Atlanta:The top diplomats from South Korea, the United States, and Japan are scheduled to meet in the U.S. to discuss issues pertaining to the Korean Peninsula and to explore ways to enhance economic security cooperation, officials announced on Friday.
According to Yonhap News Agency, South Korean Foreign Minister Cho Hyun is set to engage in trilateral talks with U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio and Japanese Foreign Minister Toshimitsu Motegi. These discussions will occur on the sidelines of the Group of 20 (G20) foreign ministers' meeting in Atlanta, as confirmed by officials from Seoul's foreign ministry.
The meeting is planned for 440 p.m. U.S. time on Friday, to be followed by a signing ceremony for a memorandum of cooperation on the trilateral Arctic-Pacific Partnership at 510 p.m. This ceremony will see participation from all three ministers. The agenda includes assessing North Korea's recent missile launches and the strengthening relationship between Pyongyang and Beijing following North Korean leader Kim Jong-un's visit to China. Discussions will also focus on coordinating responses to Pyongyang and encouraging dialogue resumption between Washington and Pyongyang.
Other topics include energy and economic security cooperation among the three countries, with an emphasis on expanding Arctic cooperation to bolster economic security and diversify energy supplies. This cooperation could cover Arctic shipping, maritime safety, shipbuilding technology, and energy resources.
The ministers last convened in New York in September during the U.N. General Assembly, where they reiterated their dedication to North Korea's complete denuclearization and urged Pyongyang to engage in dialogue. They emphasized preventing revenue generation that supports North Korea's nuclear and missile programs and praised the U.N. Multilateral Sanctions Monitoring Team's efforts in tackling North Korean cyber threats.
Additionally, Minister Cho is expected to conduct bilateral meetings with counterparts from several European countries on the sidelines of the G20 meeting, as stated by the ministry.