US, South Korea, and Japan Reaffirm Stance on North Korea Nuclear Disarmament Watch for Trump-Kim Meeting at APEC - Thairath English

The foreign ministers of the US, South Korea, and Japan announced a joint commitment to advance North Korea's complete nuclear disarmament, while continuing to enforce United Nations sanctions.

On Saturday, 31 October, the US, South Korea, and Japan reaffirmed their united position to push for North Korea's complete nuclear disarmament, as the Pyongyang government continues to reject disarmament amid possibilities of renewed US-North Korea negotiations.

The US State Department revealed that US Secretary of State Mark Rubio, South Korean Foreign Minister Cho Hyun, and Japanese Foreign Minister Toshimitsu Motegi held talks on the sidelines of the G20 foreign ministers' meeting in Atlanta, Georgia, US, last Friday.

The three parties confirmed their firm commitment to pursue North Korea's complete nuclear disarmament and pledged to fully implement United Nations Security Council (UNSC) resolutions, including measures to block financial support or revenue streams that could fund North Korea's nuclear and missile programs.

This move comes amid speculation that US President Donald Trump may meet with North Korean Supreme Leader Kim Jong Un during the APEC summit in China next month, following multiple signals from Trump indicating openness to nuclear talks with North Korea.

Previously, Trump has signaled invitations for North Korea to return to negotiations, including reducing joint military exercises with South Korea, a key US ally.

Additionally, Trump diverged from previous US policy by acknowledging last year that North Korea already possesses nuclear weapons to some extent and expressed readiness for a full meeting with Kim Jong Un, though this offer went unanswered by North Korea.

Analysts and South Korean intelligence assess that Kim Jong Un may have conveyed North Korea's stance on potential talks with Trump to the Chinese government during a recent visit to Dandong, near the China-North Korea border.

Meanwhile, South Korean President Lee Jae-myung, a consistent supporter of negotiations with North Korea, proposed in September that the US consider a temporary freeze of North Korea's nuclear program instead of demanding immediate full disarmament, potentially in exchange for easing sanctions.

However, this approach faced criticism for potentially implying tacit recognition of North Korea as a nuclear state and allowing Pyongyang to receive sanction relief without relinquishing its nuclear arsenal.

Analysts also observe that China may be shifting toward implicit acceptance of North Korea's nuclear status, noting that the joint statement following the June meeting between Kim Jong Un and President Xi Jinping did not mention North Korean nuclear disarmament.

North Korea condemned the joint statement from the group monitoring sanctions enforcement against it on Saturday, affirming that the statement cannot alter its position as a nuclear-armed state.