US, South Korea and Japan to meet over North Korea

The US, South Korean and Japanese special representatives for North Korea will meet today for talks in Seoul.

Discussions will likely center on North Korea’s recent ballistic missile launches and economic sanctions.

North Korea has conducted 16 missile test launches in 2022, six of which were intercontinental ballistic missiles. In response, US president Joe Biden traveled to South Korea and Japan in April to discuss economic and regional security with each country’s respective leaders. The US also imposed unilateral sanctions on North Korea last Thursday after China and Russia vetoed a UN proposal to tighten international ones.

Expect the meeting to lead to a joint statement supporting US sanctions, with the possibility of South Korea and Japan announcing unilateral sanctions in the coming weeks. If South Korea and Japan do impose sanctions, they will likely emulate US and UN ones and target banks, companies and individuals that are directly funding or supporting the North’s weapons program. The shift from UN sanctions to unilateral ones by the US and its allies will likely encourage more belligerent policies and rhetoric from North Korea since it is being directly targeted by its enemies rather than by the broader international community.

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