Anchor: Top nuclear envoys of South Korea, the United States and Japan held trilateral talks in Seoul and urged the international community to enforce UN sanctions that ban North Korean workers from earning foreign currency overseas. The officials stressed the need to prevent North Korea from funding its nuclear and missile programs.
Kim Bum-soo has more.

Report: Nuclear negotiators from South Korea, the U.S. and Japan called for the repatriation of North Koreans working overseas in an effort to cut off external financing for North Korea’s nuclear and missile programs.

South Korean chief negotiator Kim Gunn and his U.S. and Japanese counterparts held a trilateral meeting in Seoul on Friday and released a joint statement.
The South Korean diplomat said that the international community needs to ensure that the North's provocations never go unpunished.

[Sound bite: South Korean chief nuclear negotiator Kim Gunn (English)]
"We need to make sure that its provocations never go unpunished. We will effectively counter North Korea's future provocations, and cut their revenue streams that fund these illegal activities. Such efforts deserve our special attention as North Korea is gearing up to open its borders. In this vein, I am happy to announce that today we are issuing a joint statement highlighting the importance of fully implementing the UN Security Council resolutions, including the repatriation of all North Korean overseas workers."

UN Security Council Resolution 2397 and other sanction measures mandate UN member states to repatriate North Korean workers. However, Pyongyang has managed to bypass the Security Council restrictions and kept many workers stationed overseas, especially those in the IT sector.

[Sound bite: South Korean chief nuclear negotiator Kim Gunn (English)]
"North Korea is misguiding its people to believe that nuclear weapons are a magic wand that can solve all of its problems."
The three envoys pressed UN members to take action against the North's attempts to evade the sanctions.
While refreshing the sanctions pressure,  U.S. Special Representative for North Korea Sung Kim noted that Washington is open to dialogue.

[U.S. Special Representative for North Korea Sung Kim (English)]
"The DPRK threat is a shared problem and we are developing shared solutions to counter it. And of course at the center of our efforts is our unwavering commitment to seeking complete denuclearization. I would like to emphasize again that we remain strongly committed to diplomacy even as the DPRK launches an unprecedented number of ballistic missiles."

Enforcement of sanctions was effectively put on hold during the COVID-19 pandemic as Pyongyang locked down its borders in early 2020. The call to repatriate North Korean workers came amid signs that Pyongyang may reopen as newly appointed Chinese Ambassador to North Korea Wang Yajun recently began his official duties in Pyongyang.
Kim Bum-soo, KBS World Radio News.