S. Korea, U.S., Japan send message to China through support for Taiwan's participation in int'l organizations

Top diplomats of South Korea, the U.S. and Japan met over the weekend and agreed to tighten their ties in addressing security issues, including bringing about the complete denuclearization of North Korea.

Our foreign affairs correspondent Bae Eun-ji has more.

South Korea's foreign minister Cho Tae-yul and his American and Japanese counterparts, Marco Rubio and Takeshi Iwaya met for the first time since U.S. President Donald Trump returned to the White House earlier this year and delivered a strong message that appears to be aimed at China. In a joint statement, they expressed their "support for Taiwan's meaningful participation in appropriate international organizations."

That detail, which could upset China has never been included in a joint statement by the three countries before.

This appears to reflect the Trump administration's hardline stance towards China. as Beijing has been making efforts to block Taiwan from joining the United Nations and many other global organizations.

At a session of the Munich Security Conference, Foreign Minister Cho said it's only natural for South Korea to keep relations with both the U.S. and China in harmony to best to serve its national interests, but added that this is easier said than done.

"We can continue to improve our relations with Beijing while continuing to upgrading our strong alliance with Washington. But particularly when it comes to the security issues, there's a limit to what we can do to accommodate demands from Beijing."

The three countries also made it clear in the joint statement that they reaffirmed their commitment to the complete denuclearization of North Korea.

This gave reassurance to Seoul, particularly after Trump's comments referring to the North as a "nuclear power" raised concerns in South Korea, as they led to speculation that Washington could be shifting away from its focus on denuclearizing North Korea.

Before the trilateral talks, Cho and Rubio held a separate meeting for about 40 minutes, where they agreed to closely cooperate on deterring North Korean threats.

The two sides also reaffirmed that their alliance will continue to remain strong throughout Trump's second term in office., with Rubio reiterating his confidence in South Korea's acting president.

Speaking to reporters in Munich, Cho said he expects the two countries to hold more high-level meetings, and that the government plans to consult with Washington on the issue of tariffs on steel and aluminum as soon as possible, to minimize possible damage to Korean companies.

Bae Eun-ji, Arirang News.