"North Korea Abolishes Inter-Korean Liaison Office... North Korean-Style Isolation Policy"
Our chief nuclear envoy Kim Gun, Director General for Korean Peninsula Peace at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs (center), U.S. chief envoy Chung Park, Senior U.S. State Department Official for North Korea (right), and Japanese chief envoy Namazu Hiroyuki, Director General of the Asian and Oceanian Affairs Bureau at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, met on the afternoon of the 18th at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in Jongno-gu, Seoul, to hold trilateral North Korea nuclear talks and posed for a commemorative photo while shaking hands. [Image source=Yonhap News]
South Korea, the United States, and Japan's senior nuclear representatives met in Seoul on the 18th to discuss response measures to North Korea's successive provocations.
The meeting held at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs building in Seoul was attended by Kim Gun, Director of the Korea Peace Negotiations Division at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and senior nuclear representative of South Korea; Jeffrey Park, Senior U.S. State Department Official for North Korea; and Namazu Hiroyuki, Director of the Asia-Oceania Bureau at Japan's Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
This year, North Korea has shifted inter-Korean relations to a "hostile two-state relationship" and significantly escalated the level of military provocations. The meeting likely involved sharing assessments and outlooks on North Korea's actions and coordinating trilateral response measures.
In his opening remarks, Director Kim described North Korea by stating, "Military buildup unsupported by a strong economy is unsustainable," adding, "This is a shortcut to collapse."
He continued, "North Korea recently announced plans to abolish its inter-Korean liaison offices and continues to employ the old tactic of shifting responsibility onto South Korea and the U.S. All of this aims to isolate itself from the outside world. It is North Korea's version of a 'closed-door policy,'" he criticized.
In fact, North Korea has been constructing barriers and barbed wire along its northern border areas for several years. It has also enacted numerous laws, such as the Anti-Reactionary Thought and Culture Expulsion Act, to harshly punish those who introduce and spread foreign culture, language, and information.
Director Kim referred to a recent report by the Indonesian media outlet Jakarta Post, which stated, "Many Indonesians admired North Korea until about 20 years ago, but now North Korea remains one of the poorest countries in the world," calling it "noteworthy."
He pointed out, "Kim Jong-un may be relying on illegal military cooperation with Russia, but this will lead North Korea down a dead-end path," adding, "It will only reinforce North Korea's reputation as a blatant violator of international rules and norms."
He emphasized that deterrence will be strengthened in response to North Korea's ongoing threats and provocations.
He added, "We will deter any attempts by North Korea to disrupt our society," and "We will continuously strengthen efforts to block North Korea's illegal activities."
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