US Japan South Korea reaffirm North Korea denuclearization goal

On in New York, South Korean Foreign Minister Cho Hyun, U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio and Japanese Foreign Minister Toshimitsu Motegi held their third trilateral foreign ministers meeting since July and issued a joint statement. They reaffirmed their resolute commitment to the complete denuclearization of North Korea and said the path to dialogue remains open. The meeting took place on the sidelines of the 81st United Nations General Assembly High-Level Week, following earlier talks in Turkey on July 7 and Manila on July 22, and ahead of a planned Trump-Xi summit in Washington on Thursday. The joint statement covered North Korea, economic security, Taiwan and regional defense. It recorded the ministers standing firmly against economic coercion and non-market policies and practices leading to harmful overcapacity and market distortion, including arbitrary export restrictions that disrupt supply chains. They agreed to strengthen the Trilateral Supply Chain Early Warning System and launch a new trilateral economic-security consultation. They set plans to implement a July 7, 2026 memorandum on Small Modular Reactor deployment signed in Turkey. Cooperation extends to AI, quantum technology, digital infrastructure, biotechnology and semiconductors. They also called for resolution of abductees, detainees, POWs and separated families issues.