The United States, Japan and South Korea have promised “concerted trilateral cooperation” to denuclearize North Korea.
Jake Sullivan, President Joe Biden’s national security adviser, held a rare in-person meeting with his South Korean and Japanese counterparts, Suh Hoon and Shigeru Kitamura, at the US Naval Academy in Annapolis, Maryland.
They said in a joint statement that they “shared their concerns about North Korea’s nuclear and ballistic missile programs” and “agreed with the imperative for the full implementation of the relevant UN Security Council resolutions.” to the international community, including North Korea, to prevent proliferation and cooperation to strengthen deterrence and maintain peace and stability in the Korean Peninsula. ”
Addressing other key priorities for Biden, security officials also discussed the fight against Covid-19 and climate change and ways to restore democracy in Myanmar.
The meeting came as a review by the Biden administration of how to deal with North Korea was in its final stages, following Donald Trump’s unusually personal diplomacy with the powerful Kim Jong-un.
The former president held three meetings with Kim, whom Trump said he “fell in love with” in a diplomatic opening that eased tensions but did not lead to a permanent agreement.
Biden harshly criticized Trump’s meetings, saying he legitimized one of the world’s most ruthless leaders, but also said he was open to diplomacy.
Biden administration officials are expected to support the resumption of talks at a lower level, rather than at high-stakes and dramatic summits.
Biden also warned North Korea of the consequences of violating UN Security Council resolutions after Pyongyang recently tested what US officials considered ballistic missiles.
A U.S. official said Sullivan was also talking to Japan and South Korea about the global shortage of semiconductors, as supply chains were disrupted by the Covid-19 pandemic.
The lack of semiconductors has forced some carmakers to reduce production and appears to be spreading in a wide range of electronic items.
The Annapolis talks mark a rare diplomacy in person for the Biden administration, amid the pandemic and Sullivan’s first trilateral since taking office.