Japan, US, South Korea Agree to Step Up Pressure on North Korea

The foreign ministers of Japan, the United States and South Korea agreed on Wednesday to increase pressure on North Korea and are against possible negotiations, Japanese media reported.

TOKYO (Sputnik) — The foreign ministers of Japan, the United States and South Korea agreed on Wednesday to increase pressure on North Korea and not to accept the proposals for negotiations reopening as long as Pyongyang fails to show commitment to denuclearization, Japanese media reported.

A trilateral meeting between Japan's Director-General of the Foreign Ministry's Asian and Oceanian Affairs Bureau Kimihiro Ishikane, US State Department's Special Envoy for North Korea Policy Sung Kim and South Korea's Special Representative for Korean Peninsula Peace and Security Affairs Kim Hong-kyun took place in Tokyo, Kyodo news agency reported.

The parties further called on North Korea to refrain from any provocative actions and to strictly comply with the UN Security Council resolutions.

Tensions over North Korea's nuclear and ballistic missile programs escalated after Pyongyang said on January 6 that it had successfully carried out a hydrogen bomb test and put a satellite into orbit on February 7, violating UN Security Council resolutions and triggering condemnation from the international community in both cases.