27 March 2001 U.S.-Republic of Korea-Japan Joint Press Statement Officials from Japan, the Republic of Korea (ROK) and the United States reiterated their strong support for continued engagement with North Korea at a March 26 meeting of the ROK-US-Japan Trilateral Coordination and Oversight Group (TCOG) in Seoul, South Korea. Acting Assistant Secretary of State for East Asian and Pacific Affairs Thomas Hubbard was the American representative, Deputy Foreign Minister Ambassador Yim Sung-joon led the South Korean delegation, and Director-General of Asian and Oceanian Affairs of Ministry of Foreign Affairs Kunihiko Makita represented Japan. In a joint press statement released the next day, State Department spokesman Richard Boucher said that the three leaders "expressed their strong continued support for Republic of Korea's policy of engagement with North Korea and President Kim's leading role in resolving inter-Korean issues." The delegations, Boucher said, also reaffirmed their commitment to continue the 1994 Agreed Framework, which provides North Korea with power plants and fuel in exchange for giving up its nuclear weapons programs. Following is the text of the joint press statement: U.S. Department of State Office of the Spokesman For Immediate Release March 27, 2001 Statement By Richard Boucher, Spokesman US-Republic of Korea-Japan Joint Press Statement The delegations of the Republic of Korea (ROK), the United States and Japan, headed respectively by Deputy Foreign Minister Ambassador Yim Sung-joon, acting Assistant Secretary of State for East Asian and Pacific Affairs, Thomas Hubbard, and Director-General of Asian and Oceanian Affairs of Ministry of Foreign Affairs Kunihiko Makita, held the ROK-US-Japan Trilateral Coordination & Oversight Group (TCOG) meeting in Seoul, Korea, on March 26, 2001. The three delegations reviewed the situation on the Korean Peninsula and the status of their bilateral relations with the Democratic People's Republic of Korea. They welcomed the results of the US-ROK summit meeting of March 7 and US-Japan summit meeting of March 19, where the three leaders expressed their strong continued support for Republic of Korea's policy of engagement with North Korea and President Kim's leading role in resolving inter-Korean issues. The three delegations also reiterated the importance of continued close consultation and coordination of policy toward North Korea. The ROK delegation members briefed their counterparts on scheduled upcoming contacts with North Korea, including Chairman Kim Jong Il's return visit to Seoul. The US and Japanese delegations voiced hope that a second inter-Korean summit would contribute to the expansion of North-South cooperation and exchanges and lead to substantial reduction of tensions on the Korean Peninsula. The Japanese delegation explained the current status of Japan-DPRK relations and expressed its readiness to continue Japan-DPRK normalization talks and the policy of engagement towards the DPRK. The US side described the Administration's ongoing review of policy toward North Korea and its intention to take into account the views of key allies in this review. The nature of future US dialogue with North Korea will be determined through the US policy review process. The three delegations expressed the shared hope that North Korea would take positive steps to create a favorable environment for continued engagement and to address the concerns of the international community including the issues of missiles and WMD. The delegations reaffirmed their commitment to continue the 1994 Agreed Framework and called on North Korea to join them in taking the needed steps for its successful implementation. Finally, the three sides agreed to hold the next round of the trilateral consultations in May 2001, or earlier if necessary, to further coordinate their respective policies towards the DPRK. Return to the Washington File