North Korea set for nuclear test, says US official

Kim Gunn, center, South Korea's special representative for Korean Peninsula peace and security affairs, his U.S. counterpart Sung Kim, right, and Japanese counterpart Takehiro Funakoshi pose before their meeting at the Foreign Ministry's office in Seoul, Friday. AP-Yonhap

By Jung Min-ho

The top nuclear envoys of South Korea, the United States and Japan met for the first time in Seoul Friday since President Yoon Suk-yeol took office last month amid growing nuclear and missile threats from North Korea.

Speaking to reporters before their meeting, the senior diplomats ― Kim Gunn, Sung Kim and Takehiro Funakoshi ― all underscored the importance of a "firm and united" response to the North's military threats. They also urged Pyongyang to return to the table for talks, offering help for its fight against COVID-19 and food crisis.

"Our trilateral cooperation is essential for responding to challenges posed by North Korea," Kim Gunn, the South's special representative for Korean Peninsula peace and security affairs, said. "North Korea's relentless pursuit of nuclear weapons will only end up strengthening our deterrence. This will ultimately run counter to Pyongyang's own interests."

The trilateral meeting comes just a week after the three countries' foreign ministers ― Park Jin, Antony Blinken and Yoshimasa Hayashi ― pledged to cooperate to effectively respond to North Korea's threats following a Seoul-Washington summit that vowed the same.

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Sung Kim, the U.S. special representative for North Korea, said that U.S. intelligence believes that the North is preparing its Punggye-ri test site for what would be its seventh nuclear test.

"This assessment is consistent with the DPRK's own recent public statements. We are preparing for all contingencies in close coordination with our Japanese and ROK allies," Kim said. "Furthermore, we are prepared to make both short and longer term adjustments to our military posture as appropriate in responding to any DPRK provocation and as necessary to strengthen both defense and deterrence to protect our allies in the region."

Kim Gunn, center, South Korea's special representative for Korean Peninsula peace and security affairs, his U.S. counterpart Sung Kim, center at right, and Japanese counterpart Takehiro Funakoshi, center at left, attend their meeting at the Foreign Ministry's office in Seoul, Friday. AP-Yonhap

This year alone, he added, the North has launched 23 ballistic missiles, all of which violate international law, escalate military tensions and destabilize the region.

"Our bottom line has not changed. Our goal remains the complete denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula. And we want to make clear to the DRPK that its unlawful and destabilizing activities have consequences and that the international community will not accept these actions as normal," he said.

Funakoshi, director-general of the Asian and Oceanian affairs bureau of Japan's Ministry of Foreign Affairs, expressed concern that North Korea is not just continuing but "accelerating" its nuclear and missile capabilities.

"The (May 25) launch, which was a combination of an ICBM class and one with irregular trajectory, this was another violation of the U.N. Security Council resolutions and we need to respond in a resolute manner," he said.

The South Korea and U.S. nuclear envoys said they were ready to support North Korea in its fight against COVID-19, saying they would view humanitarian issues separately from making progress on the complete denuclearization of North Korea.