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For Immediate Release
Office of the Press Secretary
October 26, 2002

Joint US-Japan-Rok Trilateral Statement

Today President George W. Bush, President Kim Dae-Jung, and Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi met to reaffirm their commitment to a peaceful Korean peninsula free of nuclear weapons.

The three leaders agreed that North Korea's program to enrich uranium for nuclear weapons is a violation of the Agreed Framework, the Non-Proliferation Treaty, North Korea's IAEA safeguards agreement, and the South-North Joint Declaration on Denuclearization of the Korean peninsula. The three leaders called upon North Korea to dismantle this program in a prompt and verifiable manner and to come into full compliance with all its international commitments in conformity with North Korea's recent commitment in the Japan-North Korea Pyongyang Declaration. In this context, the three leaders agreed to continue close coordination.

The three leaders stressed their commitment to resolve this matter peacefully in close consultation trilaterally and with other concerned nations around the globe.

The three leaders agreed that South-North dialogue and the opening of Japan-DPRK normalization talks can serve as important channels to call upon the North to respond quickly and convincingly to the international communities' demands for a denuclearized Korean peninsula. President Kim briefed that during the recent South-North Ministerial Meeting held in Pyongyang, the South strongly urged North Korea to take immediate action for a prompt and peaceful resolution of the nuclear issue. Prime Minister Koizumi reiterated that Japan-DPRK normalization should promote not only bilateral relations with North Korea, but also contribute to peace and stability of the region. In this regard, Prime Minister Koizumi stressed that Japan-North Korea normalization talks would not be concluded without full compliance with the Pyongyang Declaration between Japan and North Korea, in particular with regard to the security issues, including the nuclear issue, and abduction issues. President Bush reiterated his February stateme nt in South Korea that the United States has no intention of invading North Korea as well as the fact that he had been prepared to pursue a bold approach to transforming U.S.-DPRK relations.

The three leaders noted the potential for North Korea to benefit from greater participation as a member of the international community. However, the three leaders agreed that North Korea's relations with the international community now rest on North Korea's prompt and visible actions to dismantle its program to produce highly enriched uranium for nuclear weapons.

With a view to contributing to regional as well as international peace and stability, the three leaders reaffirmed that continued close consultations and trilateral coordination remain vital to the success of their efforts towards North Korea.