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▼ Japan, U.S., S Korea Agree To Work For N Korea's Denuclearization
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SINGAPORE - Japanese, U.S. and South Korean defense chiefs on Sunday urged North Korea to take concrete steps to realize denuclearization, as talks between Washington and Pyongyang remain stalled following their summit in late February.
But the three nations apparently failed to reach a consensus on how to deal with Pyongyang's recent firing of short-range missiles, highlighting differences in their attitudes toward the projectiles.
The defense chiefs pledged that their countries "will closely cooperate to support diplomatic efforts to establish complete denuclearization and permanent peace on the Korean Peninsula," according to a joint statement released after their gathering.
They also "recognized the international community's shared goal of North Korea's full compliance with its international obligations in accordance with" all relevant U.N. Security Council resolutions, the statement said.
At the outset of the trilateral meeting in Singapore, Japanese Defense Minister Takeshi Iwaya told his counterparts from Washington and Seoul that their gathering "is extremely important" as the situation on the Korean Peninsula has changed drastically.
Acting U.S. Defense Secretary Patrick Shanahan and South Korean Defense Minister Jeong Kyeong Doo expressed eagerness to deepen trilateral cooperation to tackle issues related to the peninsula.
The three defense chiefs assembled for the first time since North Korea fired projectiles that appeared to be short-range ballistic missiles on May 4 and May 9 in an apparent attempt to coax Washington into making compromise in denuclearization negotiations.
Iwaya told Shanahan and Jeong that Pyongyang's ballistic missile launches were a clear violation of U.N. Security Council resolutions, calling on the United States and South Korea to share the same view.
U.S. President Donald Trump, however, said at a joint press conference with Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe in Tokyo last week, "My people think it could have been a violation, as you know. I view it differently."
Trump and North Korean leader Kim Jong Un fell short of a deal at their Feb. 27-28 summit in Hanoi over the scope of denuclearization and the amount of sanctions relief to be granted, but Washington has voiced willingness to continue talks with Pyongyang.
Last month, Trump also tweeted that North Korea fired off "some small weapons, which disturbed some of my people, and others, but not me."
South Korea, meanwhile, has kept mum about whether the nation has concluded the projectiles were ballistic missiles, indicating that Tokyo, Washington and Seoul are still divided over how to address the issue.
Iwaya told reporters after the trilateral meeting that the three defense chiefs agreed to cooperate to make North Korea fully comply with U.N. Security Council resolutions, but he declined to comment on the details of their discussion about the missiles.
U.N. Security Council sanctions resolutions prohibit North Korea from launching any type of ballistic missile.
By provoking the United States, Kim is believed to be trying to gain concessions from Trump, who wants to be able to tout results during his 2020 re-election bid, some analysts say.
Japanese, U.S. and South Korean defense chiefs held trilateral talks on the sidelines of the Asia Security Summit, known as the Shangri-La Dialogue.
On Saturday, Iwaya and Jeong met bilaterally, with relations between the two countries deteriorating over contentious history and defense issues.
It was the first time for defense ministers of Tokyo and Seoul to hold in-depth talks since a South Korean destroyer allegedly locked its fire-control radar on a Japanese patrol plane in December last year.
© KYODO
But the three nations apparently failed to reach a consensus on how to deal with Pyongyang's recent firing of short-range missiles, highlighting differences in their attitudes toward the projectiles.
The defense chiefs pledged that their countries "will closely cooperate to support diplomatic efforts to establish complete denuclearization and permanent peace on the Korean Peninsula," according to a joint statement released after their gathering.
They also "recognized the international community's shared goal of North Korea's full compliance with its international obligations in accordance with" all relevant U.N. Security Council resolutions, the statement said.
At the outset of the trilateral meeting in Singapore, Japanese Defense Minister Takeshi Iwaya told his counterparts from Washington and Seoul that their gathering "is extremely important" as the situation on the Korean Peninsula has changed drastically.
Acting U.S. Defense Secretary Patrick Shanahan and South Korean Defense Minister Jeong Kyeong Doo expressed eagerness to deepen trilateral cooperation to tackle issues related to the peninsula.
The three defense chiefs assembled for the first time since North Korea fired projectiles that appeared to be short-range ballistic missiles on May 4 and May 9 in an apparent attempt to coax Washington into making compromise in denuclearization negotiations.
Iwaya told Shanahan and Jeong that Pyongyang's ballistic missile launches were a clear violation of U.N. Security Council resolutions, calling on the United States and South Korea to share the same view.
U.S. President Donald Trump, however, said at a joint press conference with Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe in Tokyo last week, "My people think it could have been a violation, as you know. I view it differently."
Trump and North Korean leader Kim Jong Un fell short of a deal at their Feb. 27-28 summit in Hanoi over the scope of denuclearization and the amount of sanctions relief to be granted, but Washington has voiced willingness to continue talks with Pyongyang.
Last month, Trump also tweeted that North Korea fired off "some small weapons, which disturbed some of my people, and others, but not me."
South Korea, meanwhile, has kept mum about whether the nation has concluded the projectiles were ballistic missiles, indicating that Tokyo, Washington and Seoul are still divided over how to address the issue.
Iwaya told reporters after the trilateral meeting that the three defense chiefs agreed to cooperate to make North Korea fully comply with U.N. Security Council resolutions, but he declined to comment on the details of their discussion about the missiles.
U.N. Security Council sanctions resolutions prohibit North Korea from launching any type of ballistic missile.
By provoking the United States, Kim is believed to be trying to gain concessions from Trump, who wants to be able to tout results during his 2020 re-election bid, some analysts say.
Japanese, U.S. and South Korean defense chiefs held trilateral talks on the sidelines of the Asia Security Summit, known as the Shangri-La Dialogue.
On Saturday, Iwaya and Jeong met bilaterally, with relations between the two countries deteriorating over contentious history and defense issues.
It was the first time for defense ministers of Tokyo and Seoul to hold in-depth talks since a South Korean destroyer allegedly locked its fire-control radar on a Japanese patrol plane in December last year.
© KYODO
- June 6, 2019
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