The US Secretary of State Antony Blinken ended his Pacific Tour at Hawaii where he met his Japanese and South Korean counterparts in the wake of a series of missile tests by North Korea. Last week Blinken arrived on the island after his whirlwind tour to Australia following a quick trip to the Fiji Islands to reinforce key alliances with the nations in the Asia-Pacific region.

The trilateral meeting at Hawaii was meant to discuss the looming threats posed by nuclear-armed North Korea, a nation that has defied multiple entreaties by the US to meet and negotiate.

Immediately after the meeting Blinken said at a news conference that the country was trying to provoke its neighbours as well as the US through as many as seven missile tests in the past one and half months. The three countries promised to “stay united in their determination” despite the provocation and take any further steps by “closely consulting” on further steps in response. The three nations released a joint statement calling for dialogue and discussions with North Korea so that it ceases its “unlawful activities” avoiding any hostile situation.

The foremost reason for organising this tripartite meet was to deal with disagreements between Japan and South Korea on how to deal with a defiant North Korea. While Japan wants to pursue a hard line, South Korea, led by President Moon Jae-in, firmly believes in peaceful diplomatic talks.

Moon Jae-in’s term as the president ends in a couple of months as the country will go for an election soon. He had taken several initiatives, including a series of talks and attempted negotiations with the North in 2018-2019. He was even able to bring Kim Jong-un, the deviant President, and the former US President Donald Trump on the negotiating table in the wake of North’s test of a nuclear missile. Trump had threatened to retaliate with “fire and fury”. Moon’s dream is to end his term when the two Koreas proceed towards peace and reconciliation.

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https://www.hawaiitribune-herald.com/2022/02/13/hawaii-news/us-japan-south-korea-meet-in-hawaii-to-discuss-north-korea/

https://www.nbcnews.com/news/us-news/us-japan-south-korea-meet-hawaii-discuss-north-korea-recent-missile-te-rcna16024

https://www.state.gov/secretary-antony-j-blinken-joint-press-availability-with-republic-of-korea-foreign-minister-chung-eui-yong-and-japanese-foreign-minister-hayashi-yoshimasa/