The South Korean Foreign Ministry said on Thursday both Seoul and Tokyo have positively responded to Washington’s new policy on North Korea. 

A senior official of the ministry made the assessment while briefing reporters on the outcome of the trilateral talks in London, Wednesday involving Foreign Minister Chung Eui-yong, U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken and Japanese Foreign Minister Toshimitsu Motegi. 

The official said the government positively views the new North Korea policy mainly because the U.S. showed a willingness to solve problems through dialogue with the North. Washington explained the policy moves away from an “all for all, nothing for nothing” approach, and is aimed at coming up with realistic solutions through diplomacy, the official said. 

Regarding Minister Chung’s bilateral talks with Secretary Blinken on Monday, the Seoul official said issues other than the Korean Peninsula, such as COVID-19 vaccine and cooperation on state-of-the-art technologies, were also discussed albeit without details given the lack of time. 

The official also briefed on the bilateral talks between Chung and Japanese Foreign Minister Toshimitsu Motegi on Wednesday, stressing both sides clearly shared the understanding that they need to put their heads together in tackling difficult issues between the two countries.