The United States, Japan, and the Republic of Korea (ROK) held a productive trilateral meeting June 19 to exchange views on a wide range of issues related to the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea (DPRK).
The discussions reflect the ongoing close cooperation between the United States, Japan, and the ROK, as well as our common values and interests across the Asia-Pacific region.
We reaffirmed our commitment to the September 19, 2005 Joint Statement of the Six-Party Talks, including its core goal of the verifiable denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula in a peaceful manner.
We also reaffirmed our commitment to the UN Security Council resolutions on the DPRK and the need for full and transparent implementation of those resolutions.
We agreed a path is open for the DPRK toward improved relations with the United States, Japan, and the ROK if the DPRK takes meaningful steps on denuclearization; we will judge the DPRK by its actions, not its words.
We also agreed on the importance of improvement in inter-Korean relations and the resolution of the abductions issue.
We committed to maintaining our close bilateral and trilateral coordination on an on-going basis. We also look forward to continuing to engage with China, Russia, and other key partners on the DPRK.