S. Korea, U.S., Japan prepared for vice foreign ministers' talks in Washington

SEOUL, Jan. 3 (Yonhap) -- Vice foreign ministers from South Korea, the United States and Japan will hold talks in Washington this week to discuss trilateral cooperation to counter North Korean threats, the foreign ministry here said Tuesday.

The meeting will bring together South Korean Vice Minister Lim Sung-nam and his counterparts, Tony Blinken and Shinsuke Sugiyama, in the U.S. capital on Thursday, according to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

It is the sixth round of the three countries' regular vice foreign minister talks, which was launched in April 2015 in Washington. The fifth round was held in October last year in Tokyo.

North Korea and its nuclear issues will be discussed "broadly and in depth," the foreign ministry said of the topics of the forthcoming talks.

"Strengthening trilateral cooperation in response to North Korean threats and provocations as well as ways to review and intensify implementation of sanctions on North Korea will dominate the discussion," the ministry said in a press release.

The officials may also delve into three-way collaboration on other issues like space, global health and regional matters, it also said.

Lim is also seeking to hold separate two-way meetings with Blinken and Sugiyama on the sidelines, according to the ministry.

pbr@yna.co.kr
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