Seoul: South Korea, the United States, and Japan affirmed their firm commitment to the complete denuclearization of North Korea, holding the first high-level diplomatic talks since the inauguration of the Lee Jae-myung government.

According to National Iraqi News Agency, the 40-minute talks took place Friday evening between South Korean First Vice Foreign Minister Park Yeon-joo, US Secretary of State Marco Rubio, and Japanese Foreign Minister Takeshi Iwaya, on the sidelines of a foreign ministers’ meeting hosted by the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN).

These talks are the first high-level talks among the three countries’ top diplomats since the inauguration of the Lee Jae-myung government in early June. Park is attending the forum on behalf of the Foreign Minister, whose appointment is still underway.

“The three parties affirmed their firm commitment to the complete denuclearization of North Korea,” Seoul’s Foreign Ministry said in a statement. “They agreed to maintain a strong deterrent based on close trilateral coordination, while continuing to strengthen security cooperation among South Korea, the United States, and Japan.”

Park also outlined South Korea’s efforts to ease tensions between the two Koreas and resume dialogue with the North, calling for close cooperation with the United States and Japan to achieve this goal.

The previous trilateral talks between the three countries’ top diplomats were held in Brussels in April, on the sidelines of a NATO foreign ministers’ meeting.