Outcome of Telephone Conversation among High-level Officials for North Korean Nuclear Issues of ROK, U.S., and Japan

1. Cho Koo-rae, Vice Minister for Strategy and Intelligence at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, held a trilateral high-level telephone consultation on the North Korean nuclear issue with Daniel Kritenbrink, Assistant Secretary of State for East Asian and Pacific Affairs at the U.S. Department of State, and Hiroyuki Namazu, Director-General of the Asian and Oceanian Affairs Bureau at the Japanese Ministry of Foreign Affairs, on August 7.

2. The representatives of the three countries shared their grave concern that North Korea's continued provocations, including ballistic missile launches, threaten peace and stability on the Korean Peninsula and in the region, and reaffirmed their firm commitment to achieving the denuclearization of North Korea. They called on the DPRK to immediately cease all provocations and destabilizing activities and return to dialogue for peace, stability, and denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula. They also pledged to resolutely respond to any provocations by North Korea based on the ironclad ROK-U.S. and ROK-U.S.-Japan cooperation.

3. The representatives shared their views and assessments on the recent development of Russia-DPRK relations, and agreed to lead the international community's resolute and unified response to North Korea's illegal military cooperation with Russia, which seriously threatens international peace and stability beyond the Korean Peninsula.

4. The representatives decided to redouble their efforts to block the main sources of funding for North Korea's illegal nuclear and missile development, including illegal cyber activities, dispatching overseas workers, and refined oil smuggling through illegal ship-to-ship transfer. Although the mandate of the 1718 Committee Panel of Experts was terminated due to Russia's veto, the three countries agreed to accelerate consultations on the establishment of a successor mechanism which is to monitor and inform more thoroughly about the implementation of the Security Council resolutions on North Korea, in an effort to launch it within this year. The countries agreed to continue leading the international community in strictly implementing the relevant Security Council resolutions, while further strengthening efforts to coordinate responses among like-minded countries, including coordination on autonomous sanctions, and shared areas of and directions for cooperation in the second half of this year.

5. Furthermore, Vice Minister Cho emphasized the inseparability of North Korean human rights and security issues, and stated that the ROK government is actively making efforts to improve the human rights situation in North Korea, placing it as a top priority in its policy. He also mentioned that the ROK government will continue to work closely with the international community, including the U.S. and Japan, in order to raise awareness and substantially improve the dire human rights situation in North Korea. The representatives of the U.S. and Japan recalled the spirit of Camp David, agreed to by the leaders of the three countries in August last year, and expressed their support for the improvement of North Korean human rights situations and a unified Korean Peninsula that is free and at peace.

6. The telephone consultation was an opportunity for the three countries' senior officials addressing the North Korean nuclear issue to share their assessments of the recent developments on the Korean Peninsula and reaffirm their commitment to continuing close cooperation among the three countries on the North Korean nuclear issue.