South Korea, U.S. and Japan pledge to explore all diplomatic solutions on North Korea

한미일 차관협의…"대북압박속 한반도 상황 안정적 관리 긴요"
Our top story this morning...
South Korea, the United States and Japan have agreed to explore all diplomatic options to resolve the North Korea crisis.
The assurance goes a small way to cool tensions that have spiked to levels not seen in years... amid the verbal tit-for-tat between President Trump and the regime in Pyongyang.
Kwon Jang-ho starts us off.

South Korea's vice-foreign minister held a meeting in Seoul with his U.S. and Japanese counterparts on Wednesday.
The diplomats reportedly discussed various topics, from the upcoming Olympic Games in PyeongChang to women's rights issues, but North Korea's threats topped the agenda.

(Korean)
"The three countries all agreed to coordinate closely together to use all possible diplomatic efforts on North Korea, including sanctions and dialogue."

They also agreed that it was essential to maintain stability and peace in the region, while keeping pressure on Pyongyang to give up its nuclear ambitions.

(English)
"We are dedicated to diplomacy. We are dedicated to the campaign of pressure on the DPRK, pressure not only by our allies but by other states as well, including China, Russia and other members of the U.N. Security Council."

(Japanese)
"In the face of the North Korea issue, the close cooperation between Japan, South Korea, and the U.S. is more important than ever, and we all agreed on the need to strengthen such cooperation even further."

Prior the trilateral talks, South Korean Vice Foreign Minister Lim also held bilateral meetings with his U.S. and Japanese counterparts separately to discuss not North Korea but also specific regional issues.

The foreign diplomats also sat down with Seoul's Foreign Minister Kang Kyung-hwa.
Kang stressed the need for the three countries to continue their three-way cooperation to rein in North Korea and its ongoing provocations.
In her meeting with the U.S. deputy secretary of state, she expressed her wish to see Washington appoint and send an ambassador to Seoul as soon as possible... a post that has been vacant for 9 months.

The U.S. and Japanese representatives of the Six-Party talks were also in Seoul on Wednesday to hold a meeting with South Korea's nuclear envoy. Besides carrying on their own agenda, which included discussions on how to respond to North Korea's nuclear and missile threats, they officials also pointed out the timeliness of their trilateral meeting given the current tense situation on the Korean peninsula, as U.S. President Trump is scheduled to visit Northeast Asia early next month. Kwon Jang-ho, Arirang News.


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