US, South Korean, Japanese officials to meet next week in Tokyo

ANKARA (AA) - US, South Korean, and Japanese officials will meet in Tokyo next week to discuss the ongoing tension on the Korean Peninsula, local media reported.

Cho Hyun-dong, South Korea’s first vice foreign minister, will travel to Japan on Wednesday for a trilateral meeting with his respective US and Japanese counterparts, Wendy Sherman and Takeo Mori, said South Korea’s Foreign Ministry.

During the meeting, the officials will discuss expanding trilateral cooperation for stronger deterrence against North Korea's nuclear and missile threats, Yonhap News Agency reported.

A previous meeting of three countries was held this June.

Tension on the Korean Peninsula recently grew after military drills by South Korea and the US and missile tests by North Korea.

On Sunday, the South Korean presidency warned that North Korea is expected to carry out its seventh nuclear test at any time.

On Friday, North Korea fired another short-range ballistic missile into the East Sea, two days after firing two long-range strategic cruise missiles involving units operating tactical nukes.

On Oct. 4, US and South Korean forces held live-fire joint drills after North Korea fired a missile over Japan for the first time in five years.

Tensions in the region flared in 2020 when North Korea blew up the inter-Korean liaison office along the border. Seoul has threatened a strong response if Pyongyang "further worsens the situation."

* Writing by Islamuddin Sajid