Korea eyes trilateral FM talks with US, Japan

South Korea is pursuing a trilateral foreign ministerial meeting with the United States and Japan to discuss North Korea's nuclear stalemate and other issues of mutual concern, a foreign ministry official said Wednesday.

Foreign Minister Kang Kyung-wha is to attend foreign ministerial meetings of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations early next week in Manila, the Philippines. They include the ASEAN Regional Forum, a rare gathering attended by North Korea.

"On the sidelines of the ASEAN meetings, we are arranging a trilateral meeting among the foreign ministers of South Korea, the US and Japan," a ministry official told Yonhap News Agency on customary condition of anonymity.

"We are pushing to hold such a meeting but the final timetable has yet to be confirmed. Finding a time that satisfies the three top diplomats with busy schedules is very hard," he added.

They didn't hold trilateral talks during last year's ASEAN meetings in Laos.

Seeking a three-way meeting is aimed at strengthening cooperation in dealing with the North in the wake of its recent missile provocations, he said.

On Friday night, the North test-fired what it claimed to be an intercontinental ballistic missile, marking the second such provocation in a month.

Concerns are lingering that South Korea might be bypassed in the process dominated by the US and other major powers in dealing with the North's nuclear threat.

These worries were intensified after Secretary of State Henry Kissinger had reportedly proposed that the Donald Trump administration reach a deal with China "about what follows after the collapse of the North Korean regime."

In a press meeting in Washington on Tuesday (local time), Secretary of State Rex Tillerson made it clear that the US is not seeking a regime change in the North. He also hoped to sit and have a dialogue with its regime.

His remarks appear to be in line with President Moon Jae-in's push to pressure the North to denuclearize while at the same time seeking inter-Korean talks.

North Korea's nuclear issue and how to maintain a coordinated approach will be high on the agenda in the trilateral and other bilateral meetings to be held in the Philippines, observers said.

The ministry is currently fine-tuning bilateral foreign ministerial talks on the sidelines with around 15 countries including the US, China and Japan, officials said.

Keen attention is being placed on whether Kang will meet with North Korean Foreign Minister Ri Yong-ho who is said to participate in the ARF scheduled for Monday.

Though the foreign ministry here has not confirmed the matter, it has hinted that the door for an encounter remains open.

Last year, there was a brief encounter between then Foreign Minister Yun Byung-se and Ri on the sidelines of the same ASEAN meetings held in Laos. (Yonhap)