Seoul, Tokyo, Washington analyse sanctions on Pyongyang

Policy-makers from South Korea, Japan and the US met here on Tuesday for talks aimed at denuclearisation of North Korea and discussed the latest sanctions imposed on Pyongyang in the wake of its arms tests.

Kim Hong-kyun, South Korean representative for security affairs on the Korean peninsula and his US and Japanese counterparts Joseph Yun and Kenji Kanasugi respectively, discussed the issue, EFE news reported.

"I think it is indeed meaningful that our three countries are meeting again to have an in-depth discussion on how to further strengthen our trilateral coordination on North Korea," Kim said.

The main objective of the meeting is to analyse the implementation of the latest package of sanctions imposed in November by the UN following Pyongyang's nuclear test in September as well as the new unilateral sanctions which the three countries adopted against North Korea days later.

US representative Yun said Washington's support for the UN sanctions, which focus on restricting North Korean coal exports, considered an important source of foreign currency that helps fund its nuclear and missile programme.

According to Kanasugi, the meeting comes at a very appropriate time as the three countries have recently adopted their own set of unilateral penalties against the regime of Kim Jong-un.

Pyongyang this year multiplied its arms tests, since in addition to multiple missile launches, including a space rocket that uses intercontinental ballistic missile technology, it has detonated two nuclear bombs in a span of just six months for the first time.

So far, the North Korean regime had been carrying out underground atomic tests every three or four years.

--IANS

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