SK, U.S., And Japan Slam NK Nuke Program, China’s Bogus SCS Claims

South Korea, the US, and Japan have condemned North Korea's nuclear and missile programs and pointed out China's "unlawful" claims in the South China Sea (SCS) during the inaugural meeting of their trilateral Indo-Pacific dialogue this week, according to a joint statement reported by Song Sang-ho for Yonhap News Agency.

The agreement was reached during the landmark Camp David summit in August last year between President Yoon Suk Yeol, US President Joe Biden, and Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida. I Photo: Cameron Smith, The White House

The three countries released the statement after the meeting took place in Washington on Friday, following an agreement on its launch reached during the landmark Camp David summit in August last year between President Yoon Suk Yeol, US President Joe Biden, and Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida.

The meeting was led by South Korean Deputy Foreign Minister Chung Byung-won and his US and Japanese counterparts, Daniel Kritenbrink and Yasuhiro Kobe, respectively.

"They condemned the DPRK's continued development of its unlawful nuclear and ballistic missile programs, growing military cooperation with Russia, and grave human rights violations and abuses," the statement read, referring to North Korea by its official name, the Democratic People's Republic of Korea.

The three also recalled their positions regarding the "recent dangerous and escalatory behavior supporting unlawful maritime claims" by China in the South China Sea, it said.

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