A plan being floated among Japan, the United States and South Korea is aimed at the complete denuclearization of North Korea by the summer of 2020, diplomatic sources said Tuesday, in a rejection of Pyongyang's "phased, synchronized" approach in exchange for benefits.
The three countries are seeking an early end to Pyongyang's development of nuclear weapons and missiles after past attempts allowed North Korea incremental incentives to halt its nuclear arms program and led Pyongyang to buy time and further develop atomic weapons, the sources said.
The time frame for North Korea's denuclearization may be addressed during Prime Minister Shinzo Abe's trip to the United States, which began Tuesday and runs through Friday, for talks with President Donald Trump, the sources added. The two leaders are set to discuss a road map toward the "complete, verifiable and irreversible denuclearization" of North Korea.