Foreign Minister Cho Tae-yul, left, U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio, second from left, and Japanese Foreign Minister Takeshi Iwaya meet for a trilateral meeting on the margins of the Munich Security Conference in Germany, Feb. 15. Courtesy of Seoul's foreign ministry

The top diplomats of South Korea, the United States and Japan on Saturday reaffirmed their "resolute" commitment to the "complete denuclearization" of North Korea and decried "systematic, widespread and gross" violations of human rights in the reclusive state, a joint statement said.

Foreign Minister Cho Tae-yul, U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio and Japanese Foreign Minister Takeshi Iwaya met trilaterally on the margins of a security forum in Munich, Germany, where they sent a "strong" warning against North Korean provocations and stressed their commitment to reinforcing the global anti-Pyongyang sanctions regime.

During the first three-way talks since Rubio's inauguration last month, the U.S. side reaffirmed its "ironclad" security commitments to South Korea and Japan, "backed by America's unmatched military strength, including its nuclear capabilities."

"The Secretary and Foreign Ministers reaffirmed their resolute commitment to the complete denuclearization of the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK) in accordance with the U.N. Security Council Resolutions (UNSCRs)," the three countries said in the statement. DPRK is short for the North's official name.

"They expressed their serious concerns over and the need to address together the DPRK's nuclear and missile programs, malicious cyber activities including cryptocurrency thefts, and increasing military cooperation with Russia," they added.

The countries went on to say, "They sent a strong warning that the United States, Japan, and the Republic of Korea will not tolerate any provocations or threats to their homelands. They decided to strengthen their trilateral efforts through close policy coordination at all levels."

The statement came amid lingering questions over how the Trump administration will deal with the trilateral partnership that rose to new heights following the countries' Camp David summit, the first standalone three-way summit in August 2023.

Since the landmark summit, the three countries have deepened cooperation by launching a system for the real-time sharing of North Korean ballistic missile warning data; creating a trilateral military exercise named "Freedom Edge"; and installing a trilateral secretariat to institutionalize their cooperation, among other efforts.

During Saturday's talks, the U.S. restated its "extended deterrence" pledge to mobilize the full range of its military capabilities, including nuclear arms, to defend the Asian allies.

"The United States reaffirmed its commitment to strengthen extended deterrence cooperation through the ROK-U.S. and Japan-U.S. Alliances," they said. ROK is short for South Korea's official name, the Republic of Korea.

The three sides heaped opprobrium on the North's human rights record.

"The Secretary and Foreign Ministers condemned the long-standing and ongoing systematic, widespread, and gross violations of human rights in and by the DPRK," they said.

"They also committed to maintain and strengthen the international sanctions regime against the DPRK by responding firmly to violations and evasions of the relevant UNSCRs and applying pressure on Pyongyang to halt illicit activities that fund its nuclear and missile programs."

On the economic security front, the three sides announced their intention to strengthen energy security by unleashing the U.S.' "affordable and reliable" energy and natural resources, and by enhancing energy cooperation, particularly in liquefied natural gas, in a "mutually beneficial" manner, the statement read.

They also affirmed their commitment to closer cooperation on developing critical and emerging technologies.

"They committed to deepening cooperation on artificial intelligence, semiconductors, quantum science and technology, cybersecurity, biotechnology and its enabling infrastructure, as well as digital information and communications technology infrastructure," the countries said.

Moreover, the three diplomats issued a message against China on key geopolitical issues as they emphasized the importance of maintaining peace and stability across the Taiwan Strait as an "indispensable element of security and prosperity for the international community."

"They encouraged the peaceful resolution of cross-Strait issues and opposed any attempts to unilaterally force or coerce changes to the status quo," the countries said. "They also expressed support for Taiwan's meaningful participation in appropriate international organizations."

The trio voiced their strong opposition to "any unilateral attempts to change the status quo by force or coercion in the waters of the Indo-Pacific, including the South China Sea."

"They emphasized their commitment to maintaining a free and open Indo-Pacific and ensuring international law prevails," they said. (Yonhap)