S.Korea, US, Japan Call for Stern Response to DPRK-Russia Arms Trade

The foreign ministers of South Korea, the United States and Japan agreed on the need for a firm response to North Korea's provision of arms to Russia for its war against Ukraine, as well as on enhancing cooperation to address North Korean threats, South Korea's Foreign Ministry said Friday.

South Korean Foreign Minister Cho Tae-yul, U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken and Japanese Foreign Minister Yoko Kamikawa held a trilateral meeting on the margins of the foreign ministers' meeting of the Group of 20 nations in Rio De Janeiro.

The overview of the meeting is as follows.

The three Ministers first welcomed the recent advancement of trilateral cooperation, and reviewed the progress of cooperation projects agreed at the Japan-U.S.-ROK Summit held in Camp David, the U.S. last August. They concurred to accelerate the momentum of the trilateral cooperation.

"With growing regional challenges, including the DPRK's provocative actions and military cooperation with Russia, and increasingly assertive actions by the PRC, cooperation and coordination with our closest allies is more important than ever," Mr. Blinken said according to a transcript released by the State Department.