US, Japan committed to complete denuclearization of North Korea: leaders
President Joe Biden, accompanied by Japanese Prime Minister Yoshihide Suga, walks from the Oval Office to speak at a news conference in the Rose Garden of the White House, Friday. AP-Yonhap
U.S. President Joe Biden said Friday that he and Japanese Prime Minister Yoshihide Suga had reaffirmed their commitment to jointly face challenges in the Indo-Pacific region, including China and a nuclear-armed North Korea.
Suga said they were also committed to the complete, irreversible and verifiable dismantlement (CVID) of all weapons of mass destruction in North Korea.
"We committed to working together to take on the challenges from China and on issues like the East China Sea, the South China Sea, as well as North Korea to ensure a future of a free and open Indo-Pacific," the U.S. president said in a joint press conference that followed his summit with the Japanese leader in Washington.
"Japan and the United States are two strong democracies in the region, and we're committed to defending, advancing our shared values, including human rights and rule of law," added Biden.
The meeting at the White House marked Biden's first in-person summit with a foreign leader since taking office Jan. 20. The U.S. leader is set to hold a summit with President Moon Jae-in, also in Washington, next month.
Suga said the leaders have also agreed to work to rid North Korea of all weapons of mass destruction (WMD), including ballistic missiles.
"On North Korea, we confirmed our commitment to the CVID of all weapons of mass destruction and ballistic missiles of all ranges, and agreed to demand North Korea to fulfill its obligations under Security Council resolutions," he said through an interpreter.
North Korea has stayed away from denuclearization dialogue since leader Kim Jong-un's summit with former U.S. President Donald Trump in Hanoi ended without a deal in February 2019.
Pyongyang continues to maintain a self-imposed moratorium on nuclear and long-range missile testing, but resumed its short-range ballistic missile testing last month after a one-year hiatus.
Suga said he and Biden recognize the importance of working closely with South Korea to denuclearize the North.
"Both of us recognize that trilateral cooperation, including the ROK, has never been as important as today, and agreed to promote such collaboration," he said, referring to South Korea by its official name, the Republic of Korea.
He also highlighted the importance of working with other countries in the region to face various other challenges.
"We agreed that while Japan and the U.S. will take the lead to promote the vision through concrete efforts we will also cooperate with other countries and regions, including the ASEAN, Australia and India," said Suga.
ASEAN stands for the Association of Southeast Asian Nations. (Yonhap)