US Secretary of State Marco Rubio, South Korea’s foreign minister Cho Hyun and Japan’s Toshimitsu Motegi discussed, on the sidelines of the G20 foreign ministers’ meeting in Atlanta, their “firm commitment to the complete denuclearization” of North Korea.

According to a statement from the US State Department, the three ministers also pledged to “fully implement” UN Security Council resolutions, including the ban on supporting revenue from North Korea’s nuclear and ballistic missile programs.

North Korea rejects denuclearization. The North Korean government, which is backed by Russia and China, has enshrined its status as a nuclear-armed country in law and has repeatedly called its nuclear arsenal permanent and irreversible.

Speculation has been growing about a possible meeting between US President Donald Trump and North Korean leader Kim Jong Un at the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) summit in China next month. Mr. Trump has repeatedly offered North Korea a chance for a nuclear dialogue.