Top diplomats of S. Korea, U.S., Japan to discuss N. Korea, trilateral cooperation

SEOUL, Oct. 30 (Yonhap) -- The top diplomats of South Korea, the United States and Japan will meet in the U.S. on Friday to discuss Korean Peninsula issues and ways to strengthen economic security cooperation, officials said.

Foreign Minister Cho Hyun is set to hold trilateral talks with U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio and Japanese Foreign Minister Toshimitsu Motegi on the sidelines of the Group of 20 (G20) foreign ministers' meeting in Atlanta later in the day, according to the officials at Seoul's foreign ministry.

The three ministers are expected to assess North Korea's latest missile launches and closer ties between Pyongyang and Beijing following North Korean leader Kim Jong-un's recent visit to China, and discuss ways to coordinate their responses to Pyongyang.

Also on the table would be ways to encourage Pyongyang to return to dialogue, as the South Korean government has stressed its role as a "pacemaker" in efforts to resume talks between Washington and Pyongyang.

Energy and economic security cooperation among the three nations is also expected to feature in the upcoming talks, the officials said.

The three ministers last met in New York in September on the sidelines of the U.N. General Assembly, where they reaffirmed their commitment to the complete denuclearization of North Korea and urged Pyongyang to return to the dialogue table.

In a joint statement issued after the meeting, the ministers stressed that the path to dialogue remained open and reaffirmed their commitment to preventing revenue generation that supports North Korea's nuclear and ballistic missile programs. They also welcomed the work of the U.N. Multilateral Sanctions Monitoring Team (MSMT) and progress in addressing North Korean cyberthreats.

Cho is also scheduled to hold bilateral meetings with counterparts from partner countries, including several European nations, on the sidelines of the G20 meeting, the ministry said.

graceoh@yna.co.kr
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