At ASEAN Meetings, Japan Pushes for Dialogue with North Korea

Kuala Lumpur: Japan joined South Korea and the United States in renewing calls for dialogue with North Korea during a series of ASEAN-led multilateral meetings held in Malaysia this week.

South Korea’s First Vice Foreign Minister Park Yoon-joo concluded a three-day visit to Kuala Lumpur on Friday, where he represented Seoul in place of a foreign minister, as the new government under President Lee Jae Myung is still finalizing key appointments. The meetings provided a platform for South Korea to reaffirm its diplomatic priorities with ASEAN and strengthen trilateral ties with the U.S. and Japan.

Despite the absence of a confirmed South Korean foreign minister, trilateral talks involving Park, U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio, and Japanese Foreign Minister Takeshi Iwaya took place on the sidelines of the ASEAN meetings. These discussions marked the first high-level diplomatic engagement since the new Lee administration took office and served as a reaffirmation of the countries' commitment to their strategic partnership.

The three nations reiterated their shared goal of complete denuclearization of North Korea and pledged to maintain a strong deterrence posture through close trilateral coordination, according to South Korea's Yonhap News Agency.

Park also used the occasion to outline Seoul’s renewed efforts to reduce inter-Korean tensions and resume dialogue with Pyongyang. He urged the U.S. and Japan to support these initiatives. A senior South Korean foreign ministry official stated that Washington and Tokyo appeared to share Seoul’s position and agreed to “keep the door open for dialogue” with North Korea.

Since taking office, President Lee has shifted away from his predecessor's hardline stance and prioritized diplomatic engagement with Pyongyang as part of his broader inter-Korean strategy. Park reflected this position during the ASEAN Regional Forum (ARF) and at the East Asia Summit ministerial meeting, emphasizing the Lee government’s intent to make tangible progress toward peace on the Korean Peninsula.

Additionally, Park reaffirmed South Korea’s commitment to strengthening ties with ASEAN, announcing the adoption of a new Plan of Action (2026–2030) under their comprehensive strategic partnership. This roadmap includes expanded cooperation on pressing regional and global challenges such as climate change, supply chain disruptions, transnational crime, and emerging technologies like AI and green transitions.

This year’s ARF was also notable for the absence of North Korea, which has attended the forum regularly since 2000. The boycott — its first in 25 years — is believed to stem from its severed diplomatic ties with Malaysia.

During the meetings, Park was seen engaging directly with several key figures, including a brief first-time interaction with Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi, as well as close discussions with U.S. Secretary Rubio. However, no engagement was reported with Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov.

Park also held meetings with representatives from the five Mekong nations—Cambodia, Laos, Myanmar, Thailand, and Vietnam—as well as bilateral talks with officials from Thailand, Singapore, Sri Lanka, Bangladesh, and Malaysia.

With inputs from IANS