ASEAN Regional Forum Statement: "Peaceful Dialogue on the Korean Peninsula Must Resume".. North Korea Absent

[Financial News] The 32nd ASEAN Regional Forum (ARF) issued a final statement calling for the resumption of peaceful dialogue concerning the Korean Peninsula. North Korea did not send a delegation to this 32nd forum for the first time since joining in 2000. ARF is a ministerial-level security consultative body that includes not only ASEAN countries but also South Korea, the United States, Japan, China, and others.
 According to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs on the 12th, this meeting was held on the 11th in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, under the theme of 'Inclusivity and Sustainability'. The Minister of Foreign Affairs of Malaysia, Mohamad bin Haji Hasan, chaired the meeting.
ARF, in its final statement, urged the resumption of peaceful dialogue not only between the South and North but also among all relevant parties, the denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula, and the implementation of UN Security Council resolutions.  It also expressed serious concern over North Korea's missile tests and escalating tensions. ARF emphasized the importance of strengthening international and regional cooperation on nuclear non-proliferation, disarmament, elimination of weapons of mass destruction, and peaceful use.
Previously, the foreign ministers of South Korea, the United States, and Japan reaffirmed the goal of complete denuclearization of North Korea. Park Yoon-joo, the First Vice Minister of Foreign Affairs, who visited Malaysia to attend the ASEAN-related Foreign Ministers' Meeting, held a trilateral foreign ministers' meeting with Marco Rubio, the U.S. Secretary of State, and Iwaya Takeshi, the Japanese Foreign Minister, on the 11th and agreed on this. The three countries reaffirmed their firm commitment to the complete denuclearization of North Korea. They also agreed to maintain strong deterrence against North Korea based on close trilateral cooperation and to expand security cooperation among South Korea, the United States, and Japan.  
rainman@fnnews.com Kim Kyung-soo Reporter