Tokyo to host trilateral nuclear talks

• Tweet

SEOUL, Oct. 11 (UPI) -- A South Korean official said Tokyo next week hosts delegates from Seoul and the United States to discuss nuclear concerns on the Korean Peninsula.

An official in the South Korean Foreign Minister told the Yonhap News Agency, on condition of anonymity, that nuclear envoys "will jointly assess the current situation with the North Korean nuclear issues and discuss ways to maintain stability on the Korean Peninsula."

In September, International Atomic Energy Agency Director General Yukiya Amano said the IAEA was concerned about the pace of nuclear development in North Korea. Without access to the country's light-water reactor, he said it was difficult to make assessments about the condition of the facility.

Missile tests by North Korea coincided with the country's first two nuclear tests. Nuclear concerns were raised following an April effort by Pyongyang to use a long-range rocket to send a satellite into orbit.

Tensions are high in the region. North Korea said recently it viewed maritime border issues as an act of aggression. U.S. and South Korean missile agreements, meanwhile, have resulted in sharpened rhetoric from the regime in Pyongyang.