▲ South Korean Foreign Minister Cho Hyun (L), U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio (C) and Japanese Foreign Minister Toshimitsu Motegi pose for a photo ahead of their talks in Manila on July 22, 2026. (Yonhap)

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By Oh Seok-min

MANILA, July 22 (Yonhap) -- The top diplomats of South Korea, the United States and Japan on Wednesday reaffirmed close coordination on North Korea policy, underscoring their commitment to deterrence against Pyongyang and the denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula, Seoul's foreign ministry said.

Foreign Minister Cho Hyun, U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio and Japanese Foreign Minister Toshimitsu Motegi agreed to strengthen cooperation during their trilateral talks held on the sidelines of Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN)-related ministerial meetings in Manila, according to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

The three diplomats are in the Philippine capital to attend the ASEAN Regional Forum (ARF), the East Asia Summit (EAS) foreign ministers' meeting and other related gatherings.

"The three ministers shared their assessments of recent developments on the Korean Peninsula and reaffirmed their commitment to maintaining a robust deterrence posture against North Korea while upholding the goal of the denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula," the ministry said in a statement.

"The ministers also agreed to maintain close coordination on North Korea policy and continue communication and cooperation aimed at preserving peace and stability on the Korean Peninsula through dialogue and diplomacy," it added.

The trilateral meeting took place two weeks after the three ministers held talks on the sidelines of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) summit on July 7, which the ministry said highlights the importance the three countries place on trilateral cooperation and coordination.

Seoul has maintained that growing exchanges between North Korea and Russia, as well as between Pyongyang and Beijing, should contribute to peace and stability on the Korean Peninsula and help bring the North back to the dialogue table.

North Korea appears to have skipped the ARF for the second consecutive year, Seoul officials said, as it continues to focus on bilateral diplomacy with Russia and China while shunning multilateral diplomatic engagements. The ARF ministerial kicked off Tuesday and is set to end Thursday.

The three ministers also discussed key risks and areas for policy coordination in economic security cooperation and agreed to deepen practical cooperation in areas such as nuclear energy, critical minerals and emerging technologies.

Touching on the latest developments in Northeast Asia and the Middle East, the three agreed on the need to further strengthen communication and policy coordination amid growing geopolitical uncertainties, the ministry said.

"They exchanged views on regional security issues, including attempts to unilaterally change the status quo, and reaffirmed their commitment to upholding international law, including the principles reflected in the U.N. Convention on the Law of the Sea, as well as strengthening maritime security in the Indo-Pacific region, including Southeast Asia," the ministry said, without elaborating further.

Agenda items also included expanding cooperation in advanced technology protection, supply chain diversification and resilience, responses to economic coercion, transnational crime and disaster relief.

"The ministers agreed to maintain the momentum of trilateral cooperation through regular consultations at various levels and continue meeting frequently, including on the sidelines of multilateral gatherings," the ministry said.

During their trilateral meeting earlier this month, the three diplomats reaffirmed their commitment to the denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula and vowed to continue efforts to pursue dialogue with Pyongyang.

The three countries also signed a memorandum of cooperation (MOC) to establish a framework for cooperation on accelerating the deployment of small modular reactors (SMRs) in third countries, particularly those in the Indo-Pacific region.

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