U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken speaks during a joint press availability with South Korean Foreign Minister Chung Eui-yong, left, and Japanese Foreign Minister Yoshimasa Hayashi following their meeting in Honolulu, Feb. 12. AP-Yonhap

The complete denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula is a top priority for the United States and its regional allies, a senior U.S. official said Wednesday, while highlighting the importance of trilateral cooperation between the U.S., South Korea and Japan to achieve that goal.

Assistant Secretary of State for Asian and Pacific Affairs Daniel Kritenbrink also renewed the U.S. call for North Korea to engage in serious dialogue.

"Issues related to security on the Korean Peninsula and particularly the threat posed by North Korea's nuclear and missile programs is, of course, a top priority for our three countries," Kritenbrink told reporters during a teleconference to explain the outcome of Secretary of State Antony Blinken's recent trip to Australia, Fiji and Hawaii.

During his visit to Hawaii, the top U.S. diplomat met with his South Korean and Japanese counterparts, Chung Eui-yong and Yoshimasa Hayashi, respectively, to discuss ways to engage with the North.

"We also discussed in great detail the continued priority we continue to place on the DPRK, and Secretary Blinken was able to reiterate that our goal remains the complete denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula and will continue to consult closely with our allies and partners going forward," Kritenbrink said of the trilateral foreign ministerial talks, held Saturday in Honolulu.

The high-profile meeting came after North Korea staged seven missile launches in January, marking the largest number of missile tests it has conducted in a month. DPRK stands for the Democratic People's Republic of Korea, the North's official name.

"During the recent trilateral meetings, the United States had the opportunity to reiterate our ironclad security guarantees to our South Korean and Japanese allies," Kritenbrink added.

He said the U.S. remains prepared "to engage (North Korea) in serious and sustained diplomacy without preconditions to achieve that end and to make tangible progress."

The assistant secretary of state emphasized the importance of trilateral cooperation between his country and its two Asian allies to that end.

"There is no doubt that the United States is stronger and more prosperous and more secure when our closest allies in Northeast Asia are working closely together, and when we are working together trilaterally," Kritenbrink said.

"I think that the trilateral (meeting) in Honolulu between our three foreign ministers proved that the United States and Japan, the Republic of Korea, in fact, are working closely together on a whole range of regional and global issues, ranging from security to global health to the environment and other international challenges," he added, referring to South Korea by its official name.

Seoul-Tokyo relations have steadily deteriorated since Japan began taking economic steps against South Korea in mid-2019 that many believe were aimed at retaliating against Seoul court decisions ordering Japanese companies to pay compensation to South Korean workers forced into free labor during Japan's 1910-45 colonial rule of Korea.

South Korea has repeatedly called on Japan to unwind its economic measures amid a global supply chain crisis.

Japan has refused to do so, according to South Korean officials.

"Even while Japan and the ROK are addressing certain sensitive issues in their bilateral relationship, we continue to move forward to embrace opportunities to advance our common regional and international priorities," Kritenbrink insisted.

He emphasized the importance of the countries' bilateral cooperation for their economic security.

"Certainly on matters of economic security, I think these are vitally important to our future prosperity in the 21st century ― making sure that we have strong and resilient supply chains, making sure that our countries and our world class companies are able to protect their trade secrets and intellectual property," he said.

"And I think these sorts of issues will continue to be central to our cooperation going forward." (Yonhap)