Allies sign small modular reactor pact for Indo-Pacific
The top diplomats of South Korea, the United States and Japan reaffirmed their commitment to the denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula and agreed to step up cooperation against North Korea’s illicit cyber activities during a trilateral meeting on the sidelines of the NATO summit in Ankara, Turkey, Seoul’s foreign ministry said Wednesday.
Foreign Minister Cho Hyun met with U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio and Japanese Foreign Minister Toshimitsu Motegi on Tuesday to discuss North Korea, regional security and economic cooperation, according to the ministry.
“The three ministers agreed to continue efforts to preserve peace and stability on the Korean Peninsula through dialogue and diplomacy while adhering to the principle of denuclearization,” the ministry said in a statement.
Japan’s Foreign Ministry said the three upheld the goal of “complete denuclearization of North Korea” in accordance with U.N. Security Council resolutions and stressed the importance of addressing Pyongyang’s “malicious cyber-related activities,” including cryptocurrency thefts.
The growing focus on cyber threats reflects the assessment by the United States and its allies that North Korea’s hacking operations and cybercrime have become a major source of funding for its prohibited nuclear and missile programs. Last month, Group of Seven leaders highlighted Pyongyang’s illicit cyber activities in their joint statement on geopolitical issues for the first time.
North Korea-linked hackers stole roughly $643 million in cryptocurrency during the first half of 2026, accounting for about two-thirds of all crypto funds stolen worldwide, according to blockchain analysis firm TRM Labs.
The three ministers also exchanged views on developments in Northeast Asia and the Middle East and agreed to strengthen cooperation on transnational crime, disaster relief, humanitarian assistance and Arctic affairs, Seoul said.
They reaffirmed economic security as a key pillar of their partnership and agreed to deepen practical cooperation in areas including nuclear energy, artificial intelligence and quantum technology, while strengthening supply chain resilience and coordinating responses to economic coercion.
On the sidelines of the meeting, Cho, Rubio and Motegi signed a memorandum of cooperation establishing a framework for trilateral collaboration on deploying small modular reactors in third countries, with an initial focus on the Indo-Pacific. The memorandum aims to encourage cooperation among South Korean, U.S. and Japanese nuclear companies through joint project development, streamlined licensing and stronger supply chains. The three governments said the framework is intended to accelerate deployment of the next-generation reactors while maintaining high standards of nuclear safety and nonproliferation.
Rubio said the initiative would help partner countries meet growing energy demands while advancing the three allies’ shared security interests. The U.S. State Department also announced more than $10 million in funding for technical assistance to Indo-Pacific countries pursuing civilian nuclear power.
The meeting marked the first gathering of the three countries’ foreign ministers since they met on the sidelines of the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation summit in the southeastern South Korean city of Gyeongju in October.