The United States is arranging a meeting with the foreign ministers of Japan and South Korea next month to coordinate steps to deal with North Korea and its increasingly provocative rhetoric, diplomatic sources said Sunday.
The move comes amid speculation that North Korea may test-fire intercontinental ballistic missiles or take other threatening actions at a time when denuclearization talks with the United States have stalled. Pyongyang set a year-end deadline for Washington to reconsider its approach to negotiations.
North Korea's next step may lead the administration of U.S. President Donald Trump to take a tougher approach, with some officials calling for a return to applying "maximum pressure" on the North.