Abe, Trump, Moon Agree to Put Stronger Pressure on N. Korea

New York, Sept. 21 (Jiji Press)--Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe, U.S. President Donald Trump and South Korean President Moon Jae-in agreed to put much stronger pressure on North Korea over its nuclear and missile development, at a trilateral summit in New York on Thursday. The three leaders also agreed to encourage China and others to fully implement U.N. Security Council sanctions resolutions against North Korea, according to Japanese officials familiar with their talks. Earlier in the day, the U.S. president issued an executive order to impose new unilateral sanctions against Pyongyang, making it possible to target individuals and organizations involved in a wider range of North Korean industries and shutting foreign financial institutions having business with the country out of the U.S. financial system. "Our new executive order will cut off sources of revenue that fund North Korea's efforts to develop the deadliest weapons known to humankind," Trump said at the beginning of the trilateral summit. During the meeting, Abe expressed his support for the U.S. action while showing eagerness to demonstrate the strength of the unity of the three allies to North Korea and the world, and readiness to take further actions toward the denuclearization of the country, according to the Japanese officials. Trump said he will urge all responsible nations to fully implement the Security Council resolutions, including the latest one, adopted last week to introduce new sanctions including a ceiling on oil supply to North Korea and a ban on textile exports from the country. Moon pointed out that China's action is very important for containing North Korea. The Japanese side called for caution against any moves to weaken the effects of the Security Council resolutions, on the heels of the South Korean government's decision on Thursday to give 8 million dollars in humanitarian aid to the North. The South Korean president's address to the U.N. General Assembly on Thursday made a stark contrast to those by Trump and Abe earlier this week. "All of our endeavors are to prevent the outbreak of war from breaking out and maintain peace," Moon said. "We do not desire the collapse of North Korea. We will not seek unification by absorption or artificial means." In his General Assembly speech on Tuesday, Trump warned that his country would "have no choice but to totally destroy North Korea" if it is forced to defend itself or its allies. Abe said on Wednesday that what is needed to stop North Korea's nuclear and missile development is "not dialogue, but pressure." In response to the Trump speech, North Korean leader Kim Jong Un has vowed to consider the highest level of hard-line countermeasure in history, the country's state-run Korean Central News Agency reported on Friday. END