Rights Consultation held October 4 in Washington D.C. They decided to work further on issues such as holding leadership accountable in North Korea. The Secretaries and Ministers exchanged their views on the peaceful unification of the Korean Peninsula, and Secretaries Kerry and Carter reaffirmed their strong support for President Park’s vision of a peacefully unified Korean Peninsula, as envisaged in her Dresden address and noted in the 2015 “Republic of Korea and United States of America Joint Statement on North Korea.” In that regard, the Secretaries and the Ministers decided to continue high-level strategic consultations to create a favorable environment for the peaceful unification of the Korean Peninsula. Regional Issues The United States and the ROK reiterated their shared resolve to promote regional peace and security. As part of those efforts, the Secretaries and the Ministers reaffirmed their commitment to further enhance ROK-U.S.-Japan trilateral cooperation through wide-ranging and close consultations. They recognized the importance of maintaining strong trilateral relations and discussed the positive role each must play to reinforce regional stability. They highlighted the March 2016 trilateral summit among President Barack Obama, President Park Geun-hye, and Prime Minister Shinzo Abe and the September Trilateral Ministerial Meeting in New York on the margins of the 71st United Nations General Assembly, and decided to seek ways to sustain the momentum. The Secretaries and Ministers shared the view that enhancing U.S.-ROK-Japan trilateral cooperation strengthens deterrence against the North Korean threat. In this regard, they lauded the successful trilateral missile warning exercise conducted in June 2016 and anticipated further strides to improve trilateral defense cooperation, using established trilateral defense consultations such as the Defense Trilateral Talks. The officials praised the trilateral diplomatic and defense coordination that took place following North Korea’s multiple provocations, including the January and September 2016 nuclear tests. The officials also acknowledged advancements in global cooperation through trilateral consultation mechanisms such as the Vice-Ministerial Trilateral, the Trilateral Discussion on Development Policy, the Women’s Empowerment Trilateral Forum, and the Humanitarian Assistance and Disaster Response Working Group. The Secretaries and the Ministers emphasized the importance of constructive cooperation with China through various forms of dialogue to further shared goals of peace, stability, and prosperity. The United States welcomed the ROK government’s efforts to build on the vision of ROK-Japan-China cooperation as expressed through the 2015 “Joint Declaration for Peace and Cooperation in Northeast Asia” and to enhance bilateral cooperation with Japan. The ROK government expressed support of U.S. efforts to advance a comprehensive and constructive bilateral relationship with China. Highlighting the importance of guaranteeing freedom of navigation and overflight, the officials emphasized that all countries have the right to fly, sail, and operate in the South China Sea in accordance with international law. Secretary Kerry also acknowledged the ROK contribution in addressing regional challenges through the Northeast Asia Peace and Cooperation Initiative, which President Park launched in 2013. The Secretaries and Ministers noted the 3rd High-level Intergovernmental Meeting (HIM) co-hosted by the ROK and the U.S. on October 6-7 in Washington D.C., as well as the 2016 Northeast Asia Peace and 4/6