Lee Hyo-jin covers the Bank of Korea, the banking industry and broader financial news. Her previous beats include foreign affairs, North Korea and general reporting on Korean society.
S. Korea, US vow full cooperation against N. Korea threats
Kim Gunn, right, South Korea's special representative for Korean Peninsula peace and security affairs, shakes hands with his U.S. counterpart Sung Kim ahead of a meeting in Seoul's foreign ministry, Thursday. Yonhap
By Lee Hyo-jin
Trilateral talks among top nuke envoys of Seoul, Washington and Tokyo slated for Friday
By Lee Hyo-jin
Top nuclear envoy of the South Korean government Kim Gunn held bilateral talks with his U.S. and Japanese counterparts, respectively, where they reaffirmed full cooperation against North Korea's rising nuclear provocations.
On Thursday morning, Kim, Seoul's special representative for Korean Peninsula peace and security affairs, held talks with Sung Kim, the U.S. special representative for North Korea, at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in Seoul.
“The two sides reaffirmed that North Korea will pay a price for its unlawful provocations, which pose threats to the peace and stability on the Korean Peninsula as well as the international community,” the ministry said in a statement.
The two envoys also called for international awareness of the need to bring a stop to North Korea's theft of cryptocurrency ― a key funding source for its weapons programs ― and counter illicit cyber activities by its hackers. The allies also vowed to redouble their efforts to make the regime abandon its development of nuclear arms.
At the same time, they said that Seoul and Washington are always open to dialogue, pointing out that Pyongyang has been refusing their proposals for negotiations.
Thursday's meeting marks the second in-person talks between the two envoys since South Korea's representative Kim traveled to Washington in February.
Before the meeting with Kim, the U.S. envoy met with Foreign Minister Park Jin, where Park stressed solid cooperation to create a strategic environment where Pyongyang has no choice but to turn to negotiations on denuclearization.
Later in the day, the Korean nuclear envoy held a meeting with his Japanese counterpart Takehiro Funakoshi, director general for Asian and Oceanian affairs at Japan's Foreign Ministry.
The three envoys will also hold a trilateral meeting on Friday.
The series of talks between Seoul, Washington and Japan comes amid Pyongyang's rising hostility involving the demonstration of its nuclear capabilities.
In March alone, the Kim Jong-un regime conducted various shows of force including the firing of two submarine-launched cruise missiles, an intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM) and the launch of a new underwater attack drone.
The authoritarian state is expected to increase provocations this month, in connection with major political events in Pyongyang, as well as in protest of the summit between President Yoon Suk Yeol and U.S. President Joe Biden slated for April 26.
In response to the North's threats that came in response to the joint drills between the U.S. and South Korea, Washington has been reaffirming its commitment to the defense of its ally.
On Wednesday, U.S. B-53 strategic bombers flew into Korean airspace in a major show of force, taking part in joint air drills with South Korean fighter jets. It was the second deployment of the nuclear-capable bomber to the Korean Peninsula following the last one in March.
With the North ratcheting up tensions on the peninsula, South Korean officials are closely monitoring a possible seventh nuclear test. North Korea conducted its sixth and latest nuclear test in September 2017.
“It (North Korea) appears to have completed all necessary preparations for the test and may conduct it anytime,” Defense Minister Lee Jong-sup said during a National Assembly session on Thursday.