Top diplomats of S. Korea, US, Japan to meet amid N. Korea's deepening ties with Russia, China

From left, South Korean Foreign Minister Cho Hyun, U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio and Japanese Foreign Minister Toshimitsu Motegi are shown in this composite photo. AFP-Yonhap

MANILA — The top diplomats of South Korea, the United States and Japan were set to meet in Manila on Wednesday to explore ways to strengthen trilateral security and economic cooperation and discuss coordination on North Korea amid Pyongyang's deepening ties with China and Russia, officials said.

Foreign Minister Cho Hyun will hold trilateral talks with U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio and Japanese Foreign Minister Toshimitsu Motegi later in the day on the sidelines of a series of ministerial meetings related to the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) in the Philippine capital, according to Seoul's foreign ministry.

The three diplomats are in Manila to attend the ASEAN Regional Forum (ARF), the East Asia Summit (EAS) foreign ministers' meeting and other related gatherings.

The upcoming trilateral meeting will take place two weeks after the three held talks on the sidelines of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) summit July 7.

The meeting is expected to cover a range of issues, including developments on the Korean Peninsula and in the Middle East, economic security, cooperation on small modular reactors (SMRs) and responses to transnational online crimes, according to ministry officials.

"The three ministers are expected to share assessments of recent developments in North Korea's relations with Russia and China and exchange views on effective ways to respond," ministry spokesperson Park Il said at a press briefing Tuesday.

Seoul has maintained that growing exchanges between North Korea and Russia, as well as between Pyongyang and Beijing, should contribute to peace and stability on the Korean Peninsula and help bring the North back to the dialogue table.

North Korea appears likely to skip the ARF for the second consecutive year, Seoul officials said, as it continues to focus on bilateral diplomacy with Russia and China while shunning multilateral diplomatic engagements.

During their trilateral meeting earlier this month, the three diplomats reaffirmed their commitment to the denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula and vowed to continue efforts to pursue dialogue with Pyongyang.

The three countries also signed a memorandum of cooperation (MOC) to establish a framework for cooperation on accelerating the deployment of SMRs in third countries, particularly in the Indo-Pacific region.

The ministry is also arranging one-on-one meetings with the top diplomats of the U.S., Japan and China, among other nations, the officials said.

The meeting also comes amid renewed tensions in the Middle East, where armed clashes between the U.S. and Iran have continued for nearly two weeks after a preliminary peace agreement to end their monthslong war collapsed.

U.S. President Donald Trump had earlier called on U.S. allies, including South Korea, to send ships to help keep the Strait of Hormuz open and secure or otherwise contribute to regional stability. Maritime traffic through the strategic waterway has been severely disrupted since the conflict began in late February.