June, North Korean Nuclear Diplomacy on the Korean Peninsula Heats Up

[Asia Economy Reporter Yoo In-ho] In June, South Korea, the United States, and Japan have strengthened their cooperation in response to the imminent 7th nuclear test by North Korea. The three countries will prepare countermeasures against North Korea through a series of meetings involving their heads of state, ministers, vice ministers, and senior nuclear representatives.

According to diplomatic circles on the 1st, South Korea, the U.S., and Japan plan to respond to the trilateral cooperation among North Korea, China, and Russia through scheduled meetings this month, including the senior nuclear representatives' meeting, deputy foreign ministers and foreign ministers consultations, and the NATO (North Atlantic Treaty Organization) summit attended by the three heads of state.

After the failure to adopt additional sanctions against North Korea at the United Nations Security Council meeting on the 26th of last month (local time) due to opposition from China and Russia, the three countries have stepped up their cooperation.

[Image source=Yonhap News]

The opening salvo will be the trilateral senior nuclear representatives' meeting. On the 3rd, in Seoul, Kim Gun, Director General of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs' Peace Negotiations Division on the Korean Peninsula, Sung Kim, U.S. Special Representative for North Korea, and Takehiro Funakoshi, Director of the Asian and Oceanian Affairs Bureau of Japan's Ministry of Foreign Affairs, will hold a trilateral senior nuclear representatives' meeting to discuss North Korean provocations and countermeasures against the trilateral cooperation among North Korea, China, and Russia.

This is the first meeting of the South Korea-U.S.-Japan senior nuclear representatives since the inauguration of the Yoon Seok-yeol administration. The last trilateral senior nuclear representatives' meeting was about four months ago, in mid-February, in Honolulu, Hawaii, USA.

The South Korea-U.S.-Japan deputy foreign ministers' consultation will also be held in Seoul during the second week of this month. Wendy Sherman, U.S. Deputy Secretary of State, and Takeo Mori, Administrative Vice Minister of Japan's Ministry of Foreign Affairs, will visit South Korea to meet with Cho Hyun-dong, First Vice Minister of Foreign Affairs, to discuss responses to North Korean provocations, expansion of trilateral cooperation in the Indo-Pacific region including the recently launched Indo-Pacific Economic Framework (IPEF), and the situation in Ukraine.

South Korea-U.S. and South Korea-Japan foreign ministers' meetings are also expected to take place this month.

Foreign Minister Park Jin is likely to visit Washington D.C. in the mid-to-late part of this month to meet with U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken, followed by a visit to Tokyo to hold talks with Japanese Foreign Minister Yoshimasa Hayashi. The Ministry of Foreign Affairs is currently coordinating specific schedules with U.S. and Japanese diplomatic authorities.

Particularly, Minister Park's visit to Japan is drawing attention. The last time a South Korean foreign minister visited Japan for ministerial talks was in December 2017, when then-Minister Kang Kyung-wha visited before bilateral relations deteriorated due to the Supreme Court compensation ruling and other issues.

However, since the South Korean and Japanese governments maintain their existing positions on historical issues, even if Minister Park's visit to Japan takes place, significant achievements are not expected.

The three heads of state are also expected to meet at the NATO summit held in Madrid, Spain, at the end of this month. President Yoon has been invited to the NATO summit scheduled for the 29th to 30th and is considering attending. Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida is also expected to attend the NATO summit, making it highly likely that the three leaders, including U.S. President Joe Biden, will meet face-to-face.

Along with trilateral cooperation among South Korea, the U.S., and Japan, our government plans to respond strongly by enhancing the extended deterrence capabilities of the U.S. and South Korea if North Korea proceeds with the 7th nuclear test.

Foreign Ministry spokesperson Choi Young-sam emphasized at a regular briefing on the 31st of last month, “Without specifying the timing, we are closely monitoring North Korea’s preparations for a nuclear test at Punggye-ri and the possibility of additional provocations under close cooperation between South Korea and the U.S. If North Korea conducts a nuclear test, we will strengthen the implementation of extended deterrence based on the firm South Korea-U.S. combined defense posture and respond strongly through the adoption of additional sanctions resolutions, cooperating closely with the international community.”

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