U.S., Japan, South Korea to Discuss North Korean Actions

December 1, 2010

South Korea remains on high alert after North Korea's attack. The United States says the trilateral meeting offers an opportunity to discuss recent developments in the region.

By Stephen Kaufman
Staff Writer

Washington — Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton will host the foreign ministers of South Korea and Japan in Washington for discussions concerning recent North Korean activities and their impact on regional security, says Assistant Secretary of State for Public Affairs Philip J. Crowley.

Speaking December 1, Crowley said the planned December 6 meeting in Washington “provides an opportunity for us to engage with two key partners” following North Korea’s November 23 artillery attack on South Korea’s Yeonpyeong Island and recent claims to have centrifuges capable of uranium enrichment, which could be used to make nuclear weapons.

Clinton will host South Korean Foreign Minister Kim Sung-hwan and Japanese Foreign Minister Seiji Maehara “to discuss the recent developments on the Korean Peninsula and their impact on regional security, as well as other regional and global issues,” Crowley said.

“This demonstrates the close coordination between the United States, the Republic of Korea, and Japan and our commitment to security on the Korean Peninsula and stability in the region,” he added.

The United States will continue to consult with other countries, including China and Russia, who with the United States, North Korea, South Korea, Japan and Russia make up the six-party process aimed at achieving a peaceful and nuclear weapons-free Korean Peninsula.

According to press reports, in the wake of North Korea’s actions, China had called for an emergency meeting of the Six-Party Talks. However, U.S. officials have said that talks would not be fruitful until North Korea has agreed to end its provocations and take a serious approach toward fulfilling a September 19, 2005, joint statement in which it agreed to take verifiable and irreversible steps to end its nuclear programs.

“It’s up to [North] Korea to show demonstrably that it is willing to be a constructive player in the region. It is not right now, with its series of provocations,” Crowley said.

Along with the recent nuclear claims and the shelling of Yeonpyeong, in which two South Korean marines and two civilians were killed, North Korea also attacked the South Korean vessel Cheonan in March, leaving 46 sailors dead.

“We are not interested in talks, and talks are no substitute for having North Korea fulfill its international obligations, meet its commitments and cease provocations,” Crowley said. “As North Korea demonstrates a willingness to do that, then we will act accordingly,” he said, adding that the United States “is not ruling out” further consultations with its partners in the region following the December 6 meeting.