S. Korea, U.S., Japan to regularize high-level security talks

By Lee Chi-dong
SEOUL, Oct. 9 (Yonhap) -- Top-level diplomats from South Korea, the United States, and Japan will hold talks next week in Washington on regional security and other global issues, officials here said Thursday, heralding the restart of security consultations among the nations.

The tripartite meeting, slated for Oct. 14, compares with the now-defunct
Trilateral Coordination and Oversight Group (TCOG) that was formed in 1999 and
played a key role in coordinating the three governments' policies on North Korea.

But TCOG meetings came to a halt a few months before the launch of six-way talks
on the nuclear crisis in 2003 amid differences over how to deal with Pyongyang.
Revival of the three-way dialogue channel has been boosted by the current South
Korean government, which favors closer ties with the U.S. and Japan.
South Korea's Foreign Ministry spokesman drew a line distinguishing between the
now dissolved TCOG and the upcoming gathering.
"While the TCOG focused discussions on the North Korean issue, the trilateral
meeting this time will discuss ways of bolstering cooperation among the three
nations on Northeast Asia and major international issues beyond the TCOG's
agenda," he told a press briefing.
He added that the three-nation talks will be held on a regular basis, with
details to be discussed in next week's meeting.
South Korea will be represented by Deputy Foreign Minister Lee Yong-joon. His
American and Japanese counterparts will be Undersecretary of State for Political
Affairs William Burns and Deputy Foreign Minister for Political Affairs Kenichiro
Sasae, respectively.
lcd@yna.co.kr
(END)