Korea-US-Japan Nuclear Chief Representatives Begin 'Hawaii Meeting' to Discuss Trilateral Cooperation on North Korea

[Asia Economy Reporter Yoo In-ho] The chief nuclear envoys of South Korea, the United States, and Japan have begun discussions on trilateral cooperation measures regarding North Korea's nuclear tests and intercontinental ballistic missiles (ICBMs).

[Image source=Yonhap News]

According to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs on the 11th, Noh Kyu-duk, head of the South Korean Ministry of Foreign Affairs' Peace Negotiations on the Korean Peninsula, Sung Kim, the U.S. Special Representative for North Korea, and Takehiro Funakoshi, Director-General of the Asian and Oceanian Affairs Bureau at Japan's Ministry of Foreign Affairs, held consecutive trilateral consultations on North Korea's nuclear issues on the afternoon of the 10th (local time) at the Asia-Pacific Security Institute in Honolulu, Hawaii.

The Hawaii meeting, led by the United States, was convened due to the recent escalation in North Korea's military provocations, which has heightened tensions on the Korean Peninsula.

In January alone, North Korea conducted seven missile provocations, including six ballistic missile launches and one cruise missile launch, featuring the Hwasong-12 intermediate-range ballistic missile (IRBM) capable of striking the U.S. territory of Guam in the Pacific.

Noh Kyu-duk, Director General for Korean Peninsula Peace and Security Affairs at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, and Sung Kim, U.S. Special Representative for North Korea, held a consultation on North Korea's nuclear issue on the morning of the 24th at the Lotte Hotel in Sogong-dong, Jung-gu, Seoul. Kim is speaking during the doorstepping immediately after the consultation. Photo by Joint Press Corps

Following indications of a moratorium withdrawal, there is even a possibility that North Korea may resume test launches of ICBMs capable of striking the U.S. mainland.

Accordingly, the representatives of South Korea, the U.S., and Japan plan to share assessments of the recent situation on the Korean Peninsula and discuss ways to promptly resume dialogue with North Korea during this consultation.

On the 9th (local time), Noh Kyu-duk arrived in Hawaii for the trilateral nuclear envoy talks and told reporters regarding North Korea's missile provocations, "This is a critical moment to determine whether relations with North Korea will return to a cold winter or a mild season," adding, "The situation is highly fluid and very sensitive."

Noh said, "We have held various consultations between South Korea and the U.S., and South Korea and Japan, and I came hoping this would be an opportunity to create the most effective measures and make renewed efforts to engage," adding, "Stable management of the situation is paramount, and as domestic and international circumstances are increasingly volatile, we intend to hold in-depth and concrete discussions on how to most effectively engage North Korea at this time."

The three chief nuclear envoys are also expected to have a dinner together following the series of consultations and plan to attend the trilateral foreign ministers' meeting of South Korea, the U.S., and Japan scheduled for the 12th in Hawaii.

The trilateral foreign ministers' meeting will be attended by South Korean Foreign Minister Chung Eui-yong, U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken, and Japanese Foreign Minister Yoshimasa Hayashi.

A key issue at this trilateral foreign ministers' meeting will be whether the U.S. will actively request South Korea's participation in efforts to counter China.

However, subtle differences in positions among the three countries regarding North Korea measures are expected to make consensus difficult. While the South Korean government has focused on restoring the peace process on the Korean Peninsula through a declaration to formally end the Korean War, Japan has demanded "complete, verifiable, and irreversible denuclearization" (CVID), revealing a temperature gap in their approaches toward North Korea.

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