S. Korea, U.S., Japan agree to boost ties against N.K. threats

By Oh Seok-min

SINGAPORE, May 30 (Yonhap) -- The defense chiefs of South Korea, the United States and Japan met in Singapore Saturday, agreeing to work closer to thwart growing North Korean nuclear and missiles threats.

South Korea's Defense Minister Han Min-koo and his U.S. and Japanese counterparts, Ashton Carter and Gen Nakatani, were in Singapore for the annual Asia Security Summit, also known as the Shangri-La Dialogue.

The three ministers "re-emphasized their immutable opposition to North Korea's possession and continued development of nuclear weapons and their means of delivery," vowing to "closely coordinate with the international community to deter North Korean provocations," according to a joint statement issued after the meeting.

Stressing that the North's nuclear programs represent "a clear violation of multiple U.N. Security Council resolutions," they highly valued the trilateral arrangement to share intelligence on nuclear and missile threats being posed by Pyongyang, it said.

In a memorandum of understanding signed in December, the three countries are required to voluntarily share sensitive information and intelligence on North Korea to better cope with Pyongyang's evolving security threats to the region and beyond.

North Korea has recently ratcheted up tensions on the Korean Peninsula by launching a series of provocative actions, including its claimed success in launching a ballistic missile from a submarine. It also claims that it has mastered the technology to make nuclear warheads small enough to fit them atop missiles.

graceoh@yna.co.kr
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