South Korea, China, and Japan Call for Nuclear Disarmament of the Korean Peninsula at Unprecedented Meeting

On Monday, leaders of South Korea, China, and Japan gathered in Seoul for an unprecedented meeting, reaffirming their goal for the nuclear disarmament of the Korean Peninsula alongside an agreement to expand trade relations. This was the first trilateral negotiation among these countries in nearly five years, postponed largely due to the COVID-19 pandemic and previously strained relations. While North Korea was not officially on the agenda, hours before the meeting, Pyongyang announced plans to launch another spy satellite into orbit, a move that violates UN sanctions prohibiting the country from testing using ballistic missile technology. North Korea also conducted its first nuclear counterattack drill. In a joint press conference, Yoon and Kishida urged Pyongyang to cancel its spy satellite launch program, with the South Korean leader stating that this action undermines 'regional and global peace and stability.' The South Korean President also warned that if North Korea proceeds with its fourth spy satellite launch, the international community must respond decisively. Seoul claims that Russia is providing technical assistance to Pyongyang for these launches in exchange for arms sent from North Korea to Moscow for use in the Ukraine war. However, China, North Korea's most important ally and economic supporter, remained silent on this issue, with its Prime Minister not mentioning it during the meeting. In a joint statement issued after the talks, the countries reiterated their commitment to 'nuclear disarmament of the Korean Peninsula' and added that peace in the region is 'in the interest of all of us and our shared responsibility.' As a permanent member of the UN Security Council, China has previously condemned North Korea's nuclear tests and supported sanctions related to these tests. However, in recent years, as relations between China and the United States have deteriorated, Beijing officials have increasingly obstructed Washington's efforts to impose stricter sanctions on North Korea.