South Korea, US, Japan To Hold Trilateral Vice Ministerial Meeting - Foreign Ministry

SEOUL (UrduPoint News / Sputnik - 08th February, 2023) Senior Japanese, South Korean and US diplomats will hold a trilateral meeting on February 13 to discuss current issues related to the security situation on the Korean peninsula and the Indo-Pacific region, as well as to strengthen cooperation, South Korea's Foreign Ministry said on Wednesday.

South Korean First Vice Foreign Minister Cho Hyundong, Japanese Vice Foreign Minister Mori Takeo and US Deputy Secretary of State Wendy Sherman will hold a meeting in Washington. The diplomats are expected to boost trilateral security cooperation in order to address the escalating threat from North Korea, as well as to discuss other regional and global issues, the ministry's statement read.

Cho is also scheduled to hold separate talks with his counterparts, the statement said.

One of the key topics on the agenda will be the issue of compensation for victims of forced labor during the Japanese rule over the Korean Peninsula from 1910-1945. It is a long-standing source of tension in relations between Seoul and Tokyo. The countries have already held a series of talks to resolve the problem.

In 2018, the South Korea Supreme Court ruled that the 1965 treaty, which, according to Tokyo, resolved all issues connected with forced labor, did not prohibit former victims from seeking reparations individually. The decision has drastically increased tensions between the two nations.

The US, South Korea and Japan have seriously strengthened their cooperation in response to the tensions over North Korea's missile test launches and other activities.