US, Japan, and Australia Defense Ministers Hold Video Conference: "North Korea Must Stop Escalating Tensions and Return to Negotiations"

[Asia Economy Reporter Jeong Hyunjin] On the 7th (local time), the defense ministers of the United States, Japan, and Australia held a trilateral video conference and urged North Korea to stop actions that escalate tensions and undermine stability, and to return to the negotiating table for dialogue.

According to the U.S. Department of Defense, Mark Esper, U.S. Secretary of Defense, Taro Kono, Japan’s Minister of Defense, and Linda Reynolds, Australia’s Minister for Defence, after the meeting, reaffirmed their joint commitment to strengthening security, stability, and prosperity in the Indo-Pacific region based on shared values, long-standing alliances, and close partnerships through a joint statement.

In the joint statement regarding North Korea, they said, "We share strong concerns that North Korea’s repeated ballistic missile launches pose a serious threat to international security and condemn the repeated violations of United Nations (UN) Security Council resolutions." They added, "We express concern over North Korea’s announcement that it is no longer bound by the moratorium on nuclear tests and intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM) launches."

They also stated, "The ministers demand that North Korea cease actions that escalate tensions and undermine regional stability, comply with international obligations, and take clear steps to achieve the complete, verifiable, and irreversible dismantlement of all types of weapons of mass destruction and ballistic missile programs in accordance with UN Security Council resolutions." The statement used the term 'dismantlement' instead of 'denuclearization,' which has been used when referring to 'complete, verifiable, and irreversible denuclearization (CVID).'

They further said, "They praised ongoing diplomatic efforts to engage in dialogue with North Korea and urged North Korea to return to the negotiating table and continue efforts for dialogue." The three ministers reaffirmed their commitment to enforcing and implementing sanctions against North Korea, including ongoing cooperation to monitor and prevent illegal ship-to-ship transfers of refined oil, coal, and other sanctioned goods.

Additionally, they agreed on the importance of a rules-based international order to control the COVID-19 pandemic and discussed cooperating to mitigate its impact. They also strongly opposed the use of force or coercive measures related to the South China Sea and expressed concerns over China’s implementation of the Hong Kong National Security Law (Hong Kong Security Law).

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.