S. Korea, U.S., Japan to address N. Korea issue at vice minister-level meeting in Seoul

한미일 제3차 외교차관협의회 오늘 서울에서 개최 South Korea, the United States and Japan are keeping the pressure on North Korea for its continued nuclear and missile threats. High-level representatives from the three countries are meeting today as speculation rises that Pyongyang might be readying yet another nuclear test. Kim Hye-sung has the details. A strong message to North Korea is expected out of Seoul on Tuesday,... as top diplomats from South Korea, the U.S. and Japan get ready to meet in the capital. During the trilateral talks,... Seoul's Vice Foreign Minister Lim Sung-nam,... and his U.S. and Japanese counterparts, Antony Blinken and Akitaka Saiki, are expected to talk about the implementation of multilateral and unilateral sanctions,... and are likely to evaluate China's efforts in pressuring its long-time ally. The vice minister-level meeting is the third of its kind,... with the last one held in Japan in January, soon after North Korea's fourth nuclear test. Prior to the three-way meeting, Seoul is also scheduled to hold separate bilateral talks with Washington and Tokyo. U.S. Deputy Secretary of State Antony Blinken, who's in Seoul for the trilateral talks,... had previously warned that Washington will respond "strongly" if North Korea decides to forge ahead with a fifth nuclear test. Speaking to reporters following talks in Tokyo on Monday,... said Washington would consider "a number of possibilities", but added it would be "premature" to be specific. The official's comments come a matter of days after Pyongyang's failure to launch what the U.S. and South Korea believe was an intermediate-range ballistic missile. His remarks also come amid rising speculation that the rogue state will conduct its fifth nuclear test before its party congress in early May. Seoul's Defense Ministry said Monday that there are signs North Korea is in the final stages of preparing for another nuclear test. Kim Hye-sung, Arirang News.