美국무부 "한미일 3자•양자 간 강력•긴밀관계 대단히 중요"

The U.S. State Department says there need to be close ties between the United States, South Korea and Japan to solve shared regional challenges... like those posed by North Korea.
A spokesperson for the department was responding to a written inquiry by Seoul-based Yonhap News Agency asking about the escalating feud between South Korea and Japan.
That was exacerbated this week by Tokyo's restriction of high-tech exports to South Korea in response to Korean court rulings ordering Japanese firms to compensate the Koreans they forced to work for them during Japanese colonial rule.
Despite the tensions,.... the State Department said the three countries are united in pressuring North Korea to denuclearize.
It said the U.S. is always pursuing ways to strengthen the three countries' relations both publicly and behind the scenes.