US planning North Korea ‘countermeasures’ with Asian allies

Top nuclear envoys from the US, South Korea and Japan will hold a round of talks on North Korea’s nuclear arsenal and rising tensions on the Korean Peninsula, including potential “countermeasures” against Pyongyang.

The South Korean Foreign Ministry announced the upcoming talks during a Tuesday press briefing, noting that its chief nuclear negotiator, Kim Gunn, would join his US and Japanese counterparts for discussions in Seoul on April 7.

“At this meeting, the chief representatives of the three countries will share their assessment of the grave situation on the Korean Peninsula following North Korea's recent series of provocations and discuss countermeasures,” ministry spokesperson Lim Soo-suk told reporters.