SEOUL: The top diplomats of South Korea, the United States and Japan have reaffirmed their "resolute" commitment to the denuclearisation of North Korea, a joint statement showed on Tuesday, after the North's leader urged Washington to drop that goal as a condition for resuming talks with Pyongyang.
The statement was released after Foreign Minister Cho Hyun, US Secretary of State Marco Rubio and Japanese Foreign Minister Takeshi Iwaya met on the sidelines of the UN General Assembly in New York on Monday for talks on their partnership and other shared issues, including North Korea's nuclear threats.
The statement came a day after North Korean leader Kim Jong-un suggested he is open to engaging in dialogue with US President Donald Trump's administration if Washington drops its denuclearisation demand, saying he has no intention of relinquishing his nuclear stockpiles.
"The Secretary and Foreign Ministers reaffirmed their resolute commitment to the denuclearisation of the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK) in accordance with relevant United Nations Security Council (UNSC) resolutions, while continuing to make efforts to maintain peace and stability on the Korean Peninsula through dialogue and diplomacy, " the statement read, referring to North Korea by its official name.
"They emphasised the need to address together the DPRK's nuclear and missile programs and to maintain and strengthen the sanctions regime against the DPRK by responding firmly and in cooperation with other countries to violations and evasions of the relevant UNSC resolutions."
In the speech during the parliamentary meeting, Kim warned it would be a mistake to think North Korea could be pressured or subdued through sanctions or shows of force.
In Monday's talks in New York, Cho called for "active cooperation" from Washington and Tokyo to resume dialogue with Pyongyang, and "make tangible progress toward peace on the Korean Peninsula and resolution of the nuclear issues, " the foreign ministry said in a separate press release.
In the joint statement, the US reaffirmed its extended deterrence commitments to its two Asian allies, which are "critically important" to the security and stability of the Korean Peninsula and broader Indo-Pacific region.