At the ASEAN Regional Forum (ARF) foreign ministers’ meeting held in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, foreign ministers from major countries including the United States, South Korea, Japan, China, and Russia expressed deep concern over North Korea's repeated missile tests and adopted a chair's statement on Nov. 11 (local time) calling for the resumption of dialogue for peace and prosperity on the Korean Peninsula. North Korea did not attend for the first time in 25 years since the inception of the ARF.

On the 11th (local time), the panorama of the 32nd ASEAN Regional Forum (ARF) Foreign Ministers' Meeting held in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. /Courtesy of Xinhua News Agency

This year's chair's statement omitted the expression ‘CVID (complete, verifiable, and irreversible denuclearization)’ that had been repeated for the past three years and replaced it with ‘complete denuclearisation.’ This is interpreted as a measure to adjust the tone in consideration of North Korea's backlash and reflects the South Korean government's policy direction for substantial progress in the situation on the Korean Peninsula.

The ARF noted that it "urged North Korea to fully comply with all relevant U.N. Security Council resolutions" and "highlighted the efforts of the international community for the complete denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula."

It also stated, "This meeting emphasized the importance of resuming peaceful dialogue among the relevant parties to express concern over the recent situation on the Korean Peninsula and to achieve sustainable peace and stability in a denuclearized Korean Peninsula."

Reflecting the fact that communication between North and South Korea has virtually ceased, the expression changed from ‘continue dialogue’ last year to ‘resuming dialogue’ this year. The subject expressing concern over North Korea also shifted from ‘many Ministers’ last year to ‘the meeting’ this year.

In previous years, it took at least 2 to 3 days to announce the chair's statement, but this year it was quickly released on the day of the meeting, suggesting that there were no significant frictions during the text negotiation process. The fact that North Korea's absence has reduced diplomatic tensions is cited as a key reason.

The statement reaffirmed the importance of maintaining and enhancing peace, security, stability, safety, and freedom of navigation and overflight in the South China Sea, stating, "The meeting reconfirmed the importance of maintaining the South China Sea as a sea of peace, stability, and prosperity."

The statement also specified that the meeting reaffirmed its respect for sovereignty, political independence, and territorial integrity regarding the Ukraine war and reiterated the call for compliance with the U.N. Charter and international law.

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