Trilateral US-ROK-Japan North Korea Nuclear Representatives Pledge "Efforts to Block Funding" Amid North Korea's Continued Provocations

Trilateral Representatives' Teleconference
Agreed to Strengthen International Cooperation to Prevent North Korea's Illegal Maritime Transshipment
"Will Not Tolerate Normalized Provocations... Security Council Must Not Remain Silent"

Takehiro Funakoshi, Director-General of the Asian and Oceanian Affairs Bureau at the Japanese Ministry of Foreign Affairs (left), Kim Gun, 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 at the U.S. Department of State, are posing for a commemorative photo before the trilateral senior-level talks on North Korea's nuclear issue held on June 3 at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs building in Jongno-gu, Seoul. / Joint coverage [Image source=Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy Reporter Jang Hee-jun] South Korea, the United States, and Japan agreed on the 7th to intensify efforts to block North Korea's nuclear and missile funding, including the seizure of cryptocurrency, to deter North Korea from developing nuclear weapons.

According to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Kim Gun, head of the Korea Peace Negotiation Headquarters, Sung Kim, 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 a trilateral teleconference in the afternoon. This meeting was arranged following the Korea-U.S. and Korea-Japan senior nuclear talks on the 29th of last month to discuss in-depth responses to North Korea's successive provocations.

The three senior representatives strongly condemned North Korea for escalating tensions by launching 10 ballistic missiles over the past two weeks, ignoring the international community's calls to halt provocations and return to dialogue. They also pointed out that this clearly violates United Nations Security Council (UNSC) resolutions and emphasized that attempts to normalize provocations will not be tolerated.

In particular, the three senior representatives agreed to increase efforts with the international community to deter North Korea's nuclear development. To this end, they decided to further strengthen international cooperation to block funding for nuclear and missile programs, including cryptocurrency seizures, and to prevent attempts to evade sanctions through illegal maritime transshipment.

Furthermore, they urged that the Security Council must not remain silent in this grave situation where North Korea continues its nuclear development and threatens the international community, and that unity is necessary to respond to North Korea's provocations.

Earlier, the Security Council held a public briefing on the 5th (local time) regarding North Korea's successive provocations but adjourned without issuing a condemnation statement. Although most member states called for a firm response, China and Russia shifted responsibility to the United States by citing U.S. and allied military exercises. This exposed the divide between the West and China-Russia, leading to criticism of the 'Security Council's ineffectiveness.'

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