Japan, U.S., S.Korea hold trilateral denuclearization talks

The chief nuclear envoys from Japan, the United States and South Korea met in Tokyo on Wednesday, seeking a "credible dialogue" with the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK), a move may lead to the resumption of long-stalled six-party talks, local media reported.

"We affirmed that before resuming the six-party talks, it is important that North Korea express its commitment toward denuclearization in a concrete manner," Junichi Ihara, director general of the Asian and Oceanian Affairs Bureau of the Japanese Foreign Ministry, said after a trilateral meeting in Tokyo.

U.S. special representative for the DPRK policy, Sung Kim told reporters that the three governments agreed to "energetically look for opportunities to return to credible negotiations" for DPRK's denuclearization.

"In this regard, North Korea would need to demonstrate its commitment to denuclearization in a concrete manner before we can resume serious negotiations," Kim said.

The trilateral session came amid a deterioration in U.S.-DPRK relations following Washington's imposition of additional sanctions on Pyongyang earlier this month over the cyberattack on Sony Pictures Entertainment Inc.

The six-party nuclear negotiations which involve China, the United States, Russia, Japan, the DPRK and the South Korea was initiated in Beijing in August 2003 but has been stalled since December 2008. Endi