US, Japan, South Korea meet over DPRK nuclear issue

Senior officials of the United States, Japan and South Korea met in Washington on Monday to coordinate positions over the nuclear issue of the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK).

US Assistant Secretary of State James Kelly, visiting South Korean Deputy Foreign Minister Lee Soo Hyuck and Director-General of the Japanese Foreign Ministry Mitoji Yabunaka had separate talks on Sunday before they had a plenary meeting on Monday, StateDepartment spokesman Richard Boucher said.

Boucher said that all participants of the talks agreed that "the Korean Peninsula needs to be free of nuclear weapons and that any developments that would go in that direction needs to be dealtwith those talks in a comprehensive, verifiable and irreversible manner."

He said that the next session of the six-party talks, also involving the DPRK, Russia and China, may take place during the week of June 21.

"China is consulting with North Korea to confirm that timing," he added.

China hosted three days of six-party working-level talks last month. Representatives of the six countries agreed to hold the third-round six-party talks before the end of this month.

Source: Xinhua