Home > National > North Korea

North slams trilateral talks on Indo-Pacific as 'insult' to peace

Published: 21 Dec. 2024, 12:05 Updated: 21 Dec. 2024, 16:21

From left: U.S. Assistant Secretary of State for East Asian and Pacific Affairs Daniel Kritenbrink, the South Korean Foreign Ministry's Special Representative for Indo-Pacific Chung Eui-hae and Japanese Deputy Foreign Minister Yasuhiro Kobe pose for a photo to mark the second trilateral Indo-Pacific Dialogue in Tokyo on Dec. 11. [YONHAP]

North Korea on Saturday lambasted a recent trilateral meeting between South Korea, the United States and Japan that discussed peace in the Indo-Pacific region, deriding the talks as an "insult" to peace.

The Rodong Sinmun, the mouthpiece of the North's ruling Workers' Party, accused Washington of being a "gangster-like" country and "empire of evil" in its criticism of the trilateral Indo-Pacific Dialogue that took place in Tokyo on Dec. 11.

"The United States' history itself is one of war all around the world and its foreign policy is consistent with the evil of invading other countries and bringing destruction to peace and safety," it said.

The report further referred to Seoul and Tokyo as "accomplices" that are "no less guilty."

The paper rejected Japan as a country that seeks peace, citing its guidelines for defense cooperation with the U.S. and its security law that allows collective self-defense. It also labeled South Korea as being the "vanguard of U.S. policies of invasion and war."

During this month's talks, the three countries acknowledged the need to explore ways to collectively contribute to peace and prosperity in the Indo-Pacific region, according to Seoul's Foreign Ministry. The meeting marked the second of its kind after its inaugural session in January.

The talks took place as South Korea, the U.S. and Japan seek to deepen trilateral security cooperation amid evolving North Korean nuclear and missile threats.

Yonhap