US, South Korea, Japan urge for international push to suppress North Korea’s nuclear programme

Seoul, The Gulf Observer: The national security advisers of the United States, South Korea and Japan called on Saturday for a stronger international push to suppress North Korea’s development of nuclear weapons and missiles and its military cooperation with other countries amid concerns about its alleged arms transfers to Russia.

The meeting in Seoul came as tensions on the Korean Peninsula are at their highest in years, with North Korean leader Kim Jong Un accelerating the expansion of his nuclear and missile program and flaunting an escalatory nuclear doctrine that authorizes the preemptive use of nuclear weapons.

The United States and its Asian allies have responded by increasing the visibility of their trilateral security cooperation in the region and strengthening their combined military exercises, which Kim condemns as invasion rehearsals, the Associated Press (AP) reported.

U.S. and Japanese officials said Saturday’s three-way talks would include discussions on North Korea’s recent launch of its first military reconnaissance satellite, which Kim has described as crucial for monitoring U.S. and South Korean military activities and enhancing the threat of his nuclear-capable missiles. Washington, Seoul and Tokyo.

Following the meeting, U.S. national security adviser Jake Sullivan said Washington will strengthen its coordination with Seoul and Tokyo to respond to North Korean cyber crimes and other efforts to bypass U.S.-led international sanctions aimed at choking off funds going to its nuclear weapons and missile programme.

Sullivan held separate bilateral talks Friday with South Korea’s national security office director, Cho Tae-yong, and Japan’s national security secretariat secretary general, Takeo Akiba.

Sullivan also met with South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol.

At a dinner reception for Sullivan and Akiba on Friday, Yoon said the three countries must continue to build on his August summit with U.S. President Joe Biden and Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida at Camp David, where they vowed to deepen security and economic cooperation.

South Korea’s presidential office said Sullivan during his bilateral meeting with Cho on Friday reaffirmed the United States’ strong commitment to defend its ally in the face of North Korean threats.