S. Korea to urge united response to N. Korea's nuclear threat at regional security forum

▲ Foreign Minister Park Jin delivers a keynote address during a forum at a Seoul hotel, in this file photo taken June 29, 2023, to discuss the geopolitical situation on the Korean Peninsula. (Yonhap)

S Korea-ASEAN talks

S. Korea to urge united response to N. Korea's nuclear threat at regional security forum

By Chang Dong-woo

SEOUL, July 12 (Yonhap) -- South Korea plans to call for the international community to take a united response to deal with North Korea's nuclear and missile threats at this week's regional security forum, according to Seoul officials Wednesday.

Top diplomats from 27 Asia-Pacific countries and the European Union are scheduled to meet in Jakarta for a series of talks led by the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) this week. South Korean Foreign Minister Park Jin will also attend the event.

In particular, the ASEAN Regional Forum (ARF), the region's largest security meeting, will be held later this week in Jakarta. The forum is a rare international occasion that North Korea attends, along with all the other countries involved in the long-suspended talks aimed at ending the North's nuclear ambitions.

It remains unclear whether North Korea will send its foreign minister, Choe Son-hui, to the forum.

Park is also expected to raise issues of North Korea's illicit cyber activities and concerns about the North's human rights during the forum, officials said.

On Thursday, Park is scheduled to participate in the South Korea-ASEAN foreign ministers' meeting and the ASEAN plus three meeting, which also includes China and Japan.

The following day, Park will take part in the East Asia Summit meeting, which involves ASEAN member states, South Korea, China and Japan, as well as the United States, Russia, India, Australia and New Zealand. He will then participate in the ARF.

During the ARF, South Korea will emphasize its resolve to implement its Indo-Pacific strategy introduced in November of last year and make efforts to earn an official endorsement of the Korea-ASEAN Solidarity Initiative, a core component of the Indo-Pacific strategy, from members of ASEAN, a senior foreign ministry official said.

The official added that South Korea will emphasize the importance of a united response to the unprecedented missile provocations and nuclear threats by North Korea that have been ongoing since last year while underscoring the need for international cooperation in blocking Pyongyang's illegal financing of nuclear and missile programs through illicit cyber activities.

According to the official, Park is also expected to express the government's opposition to any unilateral attempt to change the status quo in the region, and clarify Seoul's stance on issues involving the South China Sea, Myanmar and Ukraine.

In between sessions, Park could hold separate bilateral talks with his counterparts from Japan, Australia, the EU and Britain. Observers also say that a three-way meeting among the top diplomats of Seoul, Washington and Tokyo could take place on the sidelines of the meetings.

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