South Korea, the United States and Japan’s foreign ministers reaffirmed a resolute commitment to North Korea’s complete denuclearisation and urged the regime to resume dialogue after trilateral talks in New York.
South Korean Foreign Minister Cho Hyun, U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio and Japanese Foreign Minister Toshimitsu Motegi met on the sidelines of the U.N. General Assembly High‑Level Week in New York on 21 September 2026. In a joint statement they reaffirmed a “resolute” commitment to the complete denuclearisation of the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea (DPRK) and called on the DPRK to resume dialogue, while also pledging to uphold the prohibition on support for revenue generation for the DPRK’s nuclear and ballistic‑missile programmes in line with relevant U.N. Security Council resolutions.
The three governments highlighted several related issues. The United States reiterated its “ironclad” defence commitments to South Korea and Japan, backed by its military strength, including nuclear capabilities. They welcomed the Multilateral Sanctions Monitoring Team’s work on DPRK sanctions violations and its alerts on North Korean IT workers and cyber threats. The statement also stressed the importance of peace and stability across the Taiwan Strait, opposed unilateral changes to the status quo, supported Taiwan’s meaningful participation in appropriate international organisations, and affirmed freedom of navigation and overflight in accordance with international law.
Further cooperation was pledged on economic security, supply‑chain resilience, energy‑supply stability and advanced‑technology protection. The ministers committed to enhance a trilateral supply‑chain early‑warning system, increase oil stockpiles, advance small‑modular‑reactor deployments under strict safety standards, and protect emerging technologies such as artificial intelligence, quantum tech, digital infrastructure and biotechnology. The report notes that U.S. President Donald Trump hopes to meet North Korean leader Kim Jong‑un later in 2026 and that a Trump‑Xi summit is scheduled, but these meetings have not yet occurred and their outcomes remain uncertain.