G7 foreign ministers urge North Korea to abandon nuclear weapons, omit CVID principle

The foreign ministers of the Group of Seven (G7) countries did not specify the principle of "complete, verifiable, and irreversible denuclearization (CVID)" that they had emphasized in previous statements regarding North Korea's denuclearization on the 14th (local time).

The foreign ministers of the seven countries, including the United States, Japan, the United Kingdom, Canada, Germany, France, and Italy, demanded that North Korea "give up all nuclear weapons and other weapons of mass destruction, as well as its ballistic missile program, in accordance with United Nations Security Council resolutions" in a joint declaration issued after their meeting in Charlevoix, Quebec, Canada. However, the G7 foreign ministers did not include any mention of the "CVID principle," which calls for North Korea to denuclearize in a complete, verifiable, and irreversible manner, in the joint declaration.

In a statement issued on the occasion of the Munich Security Conference on the 15th of last month, the G7 foreign ministers specified the language regarding the CVID principle. That statement was the result of the first G7 meeting held after the inauguration of the second administration of Donald Trump. The CVID principle reflects the strongest demands of the international community for North Korea's complete denuclearization, which North Korea has thoroughly rejected.

In the joint declaration on the same day, the G7 foreign ministers stated that they condemn "North Korea and Iran's military support to Russia in relation to the Russia-Ukraine war and China's provision of weapons and dual-use components." They added that China is a "decisive supporter of Russia's war and Russia's military reconstruction" and "we reaffirmed our determination to continue to take measures against these third countries."

Additionally, the G7 foreign ministers expressed "serious concerns regarding North Korea's cyber cryptocurrency theft and emphasized the need for a coordinated response to this issue," while also urging North Korea for an immediate resolution to the abduction issue.