Top nuclear envoys of S. Korea, US, Japan to hold talks over suspected NK

Kim Gunn, right, South Korea's special representative for Korean Peninsula peace and security affairs, poses for a photo with Sung Kim, left, U.S. special envoy for North Korea, and Takehiro Funakoshi, head of the Japanese foreign ministry's Asian and Oceanian Affairs Bureau, during their talks on North Korea's nuclear weapons in the Japanese town of Karuizawa, Nagano, on Dec. 23, 2022. AP-Yonhap

The top nuclear envoys of South Korea, the United States and Japan were set to meet in Jakarta on Tuesday to discuss joint responses to North Korea's suspected arms delivery to Russia for use in Ukraine.

The meeting among Kim Gunn, the special representative for Korean Peninsula peace and security affairs, and his U.S. and Japanese counterparts ― Sung Kim and Hiroyuki Namazu ― comes amid speculation that Pyongyang and Moscow may have reached an arms deal at last month's rare summit between the North's leader Kim Jong-un and Russian President Vladimir Putin.

Washington said Friday the North has sent over 1,000 containers of military equipment and munitions to Moscow for use in its war in Ukraine, the first U.S. disclosure of its assessment on the suspected arms transaction.

Tuesday's talks also come a day after North Korea's announcement that Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov will visit Pyongyang later this week.

During the talks, the three envoys are expected to share their assessments on the possible military cooperation between the North and Russia and discuss coordination efforts in responding to the latest development.

2 Russian ships made 5 trips between NK, Russia since mid-Aug. in suspected arms transfers: WP 2023-10-17 08:33  |  World

Kim Gunn will also have separate bilateral talks with Namazu, his new Japanese counterpart, who assumed the post in August.

In the bilateral talks held Monday, Kim Gunn and Sung Kim warned against any military cooperation between Pyongyang and Moscow and agreed to tighter coordination in response measures, such as the sharing of information.

The Kim-Putin summit has sparked speculation that North Korea may have agreed to supply Russia with ammunition and weaponry for its war in Ukraine in exchange for a transfer of advanced weapons technology from Moscow, such as fighter jets and surface-to-air missiles.

North Korea stipulated the policy of strengthening its nuclear force in its constitution at its key parliamentary meeting in September. It has vowed to carry out another military spy satellite launch this month after two failed attempts, taking place in May and August. (Yonhap)