Political leaders from Japan, South Korea and China agreed Monday to urge North Korea to dismantle its nuclear weapons development program in order to secure a nuclear-free Korean Peninsula, according to Japanese officials.
The accord was reached during an hourlong meeting here between Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi, South Korean Prime Minister Kim Suk Soo and Chinese Premier Zhu Rongji.
The three leaders had gathered to discuss the issue on the sidelines of a series of meetings hosted by the Association of Southeast Asian Nations.
The trilateral agreement follows last month's call by the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation forum for Pyongyang to abandon its nuclear program and push for the denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula.