26 May 2001

U.S.-South Korea-Japan Joint Press Statement

Delegations for the second U.S.-ROK-Japan Trilateral Coordination and Oversight Group (TCOG) meeting issued a joint statement in Honolulu May 26.

According to the statement, the results of the meeting included support for South Korea's policy of reconciliation and cooperation with North Korea; agreement to continue close consultation and coordination of policy toward North Korea; and continued commitment to the 1994 Agreed Framework.

Following is the text of the joint statement:

The delegations of the United States of America, the Republic of Korea (ROK) and Japan, headed respectively by Assistant Secretary of State for East Asian and Pacific Affairs James A. Kelly, Deputy Foreign Minister Ambassador Yim Sung-joon, and Director-General of Asian and Oceanian Affairs Kunihiko Makita, held this year's second U.S.-ROK-Japan Trilateral Coordination and Oversight Group (TCOG) meeting in Honolulu on May 26.

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 expressed their strong continued support for the Republic of Korea's policy of reconciliation and cooperation 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 on the range of issues, including missiles, weapons of mass destruction, and humanitarian affairs. In this regard, the three delegations expressed the shared hope that North Korea would take steps to address the concerns of the international community.

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.

The ROK delegation members briefed their counterparts on the current situation in the North-South dialogue and their expectation that Chairman Kim Jong Il will pay a return visit to Seoul. The U.S. 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 a substantial reduction of tensions on the Korean Peninsula.

The U.S. side presented preliminary elements of the Administration's review of policy toward North Korea. The U.S. invited the ROK and Japan to provide comments and suggestions. The U.S. delegation was deeply appreciative of the excellent exchanges of views that will help bring the review to a conclusion soon.

The Japanese delegation explained the current status of Japan-DPRK relations and expressed its continuing readiness to conduct Japan-DPRK normalization talks and to pursue an engagement policy with the DPRK.

Finally, the three sides agreed to hold the next round of trilateral consultations within a few months to further coordinate their respective policies towards the DPRK.