Security Statement

[Anchor Lead]

South Korea, the United States and Japan have adopted a joint statement saying that North Korean nuclear weapons pose a direct threat to the security of the three nations and reconfirmed the U.S.'s commitment to protecting its allies. They also discussed their response to the assassination of Kim Jong-nam.

[Pkg]

The South Korean, U.S. and Japanese envoys to the six-way nuclear talks have discussed the issue of North Korea and have adopted a joint trilateral statement. The statement reconfirmed that North Korea's nuclear and missile program poses a direct threat to the security of the three nations. The envoys agreed that North Korea's ballistic missile provocations could be a sign of the regime's plan to launch intercontinental ballistic missiles, and strongly warned against additional provocations. The envoys to the three nations welcomed China's move to suspend the imports of North Korean coal, and agreed to fully and effectively implement the U.N. Security Council resolutions on North Korea sanctions. Topping the agenda of the meeting was the assassination of Kim Jong-nam in Malaysia. South Korean envoy Kim Hong-kyun said that Kim Jong-nam's murder was in serious violation of international law prohibiting the use of chemical weapons. He urged the international community to take stern measures against the North. A high-ranking Seoul official said that the U.S. government has started deliberations on re-designating the North as a terrorism-sponsoring country.