South Korea and Japan: Response Will Be Resolute if North Korea Provokes Again

The South Korean Ministry of Foreign Affairs revealed on October 12th that in the morning of that day, Kim Gunn, Special Representative for Korean Peninsula Peace and Security Affairs, met with Takehiro Funakoshi, Director General for Asian and Oceanian Affairs Bureau of Japan’s Foreign Ministry, at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs Building.

 According to South Korea’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the two countries assessed the critical circumstances that would make the nuclear threat worse, such as North Korea’s legalization of its nuclear policy and missile launch exercises that simulate the use of tactical nuclear weapons and they talked about upcoming countermeasures.

 The two top North Korea nuclear negotiators noted that South Korea, the United States, and Japan are closely coordinating on security in response to North Korea’s nuclear and missile threats. They reaffirmed that they would work with the international community to respond determinedly in the event of further provocations like a nuclear test from North Korea in the future.

 In the meantime, the two sides agreed to maintain their close coordination and communication between South Korea and Japan and between South Korea, the United States, and Japan in the hopes that North Korea will cease its provocations and resume talks.