SOKOR, JAPAN, U.S. AGREE ON RESUMPTION OF DIALOGUE WITH NOKOR

South Korea, Japan and the United States have agreed on the need to peacefully resolve the North Korean nuclear issue as they reaffirmed their joint efforts to quickly resume denuclearization talks with Pyongyang, South Korea's national security adviser Suh Hoon said Friday, Yonhap News Agency reported.

"South Korea, the US and Japan agreed on the urgency of the North Korean nuclear issue and need for a diplomatic solution to the issue," Suh told reporters after a three-way meeting with his US and Japanese counterparts, Jake Sullivan and Shigeru Kitamura. The three also agreed that "efforts to resume North Korea-U.S. negotiations at an early date must continue," he added.

Friday's meeting between the top security advisers of South Korea, Japan and the US was the first of its kind since US President Joe Biden took office on Jan. 20. The face-to-face meeting was held at the US Naval Academy in Annapolis, Maryland.

Washington earlier said the meeting would provide an opportunity to explain the outcome of its ongoing North Korea policy review to the two key US allies in Asia, and also provide Seoul and Tokyo with "another opportunity" to provide their own input into the new US policy on North Korea.

"The US side explained the interim outcome of the ongoing North Korea policy review, and the security advisers of South Korea, the US and Japan held in-depth discussions on various issues related to preparations and implementation of measures for negotiations with North Korea," Suh said of the meeting.

The US has said its policy review will provide a "new" approach to dealing with nuclear-armed North Korea and that the review is now in its final stages.

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