S. Korea, U.S, Japan to hold high-level talks on N. Korea

WASHINGTON (Yonhap News) ― The United States announced Thursday that it will host a high-level trilateral meeting with South Korea and Japan next week to discuss next steps on North Korea, which is apparently seeking massive food aid.

The session, to be held in Washington on Tuesday, is the first of its kind since the change of North Korean leadership following the sudden death of its longtime leader in December.

But the U.S. said it is just part of “regular trilateral meetings in order to exchange views on a wide range of regional and global issues of mutual interest, including North Korea.”

The meeting will be co-hosted by Assistant Secretary of State for East Asian and Pacific Affairs Kurt Campbell and Special Representative for North Korea Policy Glyn Davies, joined by South Korea’s top nuclear envoy, Lim Sung-nam, and his Japanese counterpart, Shinsuke Sugiyama, according to the State Department.

“These discussions reflect the close cooperation between the United States, Japan, and the Republic of Korea, as well as common values and interests across the Asia-Pacific and the globe,” it said in a press release.