US, Japan and South Korea pledge North Korea denuclearisation at G20 meet in Atlanta

There is concern across East Asia and the rest of the world over the steadily growing nuclear and missile arsenal of North Korea's dictator Kim Jong-un. Against this backdrop, the foreign ministers of the United States, South Korea and Japan have jointly announced their commitment to the complete and irreversible denuclearisation of North Korea.

The meeting took place on the sidelines of the G20 foreign ministers' meeting in Atlanta. US Secretary of State Marco Rubio, Japan's Foreign Minister Toshimitsu Motegi and South Korea's Foreign Minister Chung Hyun took part. The three countries did not discuss only the North Korean nuclear challenge. They also signed what was described as a historic memorandum of understanding (MoU) to strengthen maritime security, supply chains and economic cooperation in the Pacific-Arctic region.

This comes at a time when a possible summit between Trump and Kim is being discussed. Amid that talk, North Korea has flatly refused to give up its nuclear weapons. Pyongyang has legally declared its nuclear capability "permanent and irreversible". It has been said that Kim Jong-un's confidence has grown with the covert and open support of Russia and China. A meeting between US President Donald Trump and Kim Jong-un is being speculated about during the upcoming Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) summit.

Trump has on several earlier occasions signalled readiness for direct talks with Kim Jong-un. According to Trump, it would be more practical to "freeze" North Korea's nuclear programme within a fixed limit than to denuclearise the country. In return, some easing of the strict economic sanctions on North Korea could be considered, a suggestion that had also come from political circles in South Korea. North Korea, however, has directly refused to accept any form of disarmament even before talks.

Amid the talk of diplomacy, North Korea once again showed its military strength. According to South Korea's Joint Chiefs of Staff, North Korea fired 10 short-range ballistic missiles at once from the Wonsan area towards the East Sea (Sea of Japan). Following the sudden missile test, an alert was issued in Japan and South Korea.

North Korea continues to test its weapons in open violation of the rules and sanctions of the UN Security Council (UNSC). The foreign ministers of the three countries strongly demanded a complete international clampdown on the secret networks and illegal financial transactions that fund these unlawful missile programmes.

North Korea's actions are not limited to East Asia but threaten the security of the entire Pacific region. For this reason, the US, Japan and South Korea have decided to come together on the economic and technological fronts as well as in military cooperation. Cooperation in the Arctic region will make it easier for the three countries to protect sea routes and keep technological supply chains secure. The meeting sent a clear message that, however much pressure North Korea applies, there will be no compromise on international security. The world is now watching whether the Trump-Kim Jong-un meeting takes place and whether it yields any resolution to the tension.