The vice foreign ministers of South Korea, the United States and Japan sat down for talks in Tokyo on Thursday and agreed to strengthen international pressure to get North Korea to abandon its nuclear ambitions.

    The talks, the fifth of its kind, saw the participation of South Korean Vice Foreign Minister Lim Sung-nam, US Deputy Secretary of State Tony Blinken and Japanese Vice Foreign Minister Shinsuke Sugiyama.

    The vice ministers shared the view that the North's advancement of its nuclear and missile capability poses a direct threat to their countries. They also agreed to exert efforts so that the North will have no other choice but to opt for denuclearization in the face of strong sanctions, according to Korea's (KBS WORLS) radio.

    In particular, the officials vowed to work for the international community's faithful implementation of existing UN Security Council sanctions against the North and to produce a strong resolution slapping further punitive measures on Pyongyang.

    Lim said that the talks focused on the North's missile provocations, describing them as the most urgent and dangerous challenge. Sugiyama said the three countries agreed to actively engage in close cooperation on tackling the North's nuclear issue. Blinken said the meeting reaffirmed the need for Seoul, Washington and Tokyo to work together for peace and stability in Northeast Asia.

Source: QNA