The top nuclear envoys of South Korea, the United States and Japan have stressed their cooperation and resolve to cope with the deepening military ties between Russia and North Korea. 

According to the U.S. State Department, Lee Jun-il, director general for North Korean nuclear affairs at Seoul's foreign ministry, held talks on Thursday with U.S. Senior Official for North Korea Jung Pak and Hiroyuki Namazu, director general for Asian and Oceanian Affairs at Tokyo's foreign ministry.

The department said the three sides underscored their continued resolve in the face of the grave security threats posed by the North’s provocations, unlawful weapons of mass destruction and ballistic missile programs, and its deepening military cooperation with Russia. 

The top envoys reportedly stressed the importance of maintaining close trilateral cooperation to address North Korean threats, promote peace and stability on the Korean Peninsula and restart dialogue and diplomacy with the reclusive regime. 

The department said they also stressed the value of cooperation in addressing human rights and humanitarian challenges in North Korea, including protections for North Korean asylum seekers and the need for the immediate resolution of the issues of abductions, detainees and unrepatriated prisoners of war.