Iran Press/Asia: Visiting US National Security Adviser John Bolton met with South Korean Defense Minister Jeong Kyeong-doo and urged close cooperation between the two nations to complete denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula, according to the ministry.
The two sides were also on the same page that South Korea-Japan security cooperation should be maintained," the ministry said in a statement according to Mainichi Daily.
In a later meeting with his South Korean counterpart Chung Eui-Yong, director of the National Security Office, Bolton talked about the denuclearization process as well as strengthening the South Korea-US alliance, according to the South Korean presidential office.
Chung explained to Bolton Seoul's response to Chinese and Russian aircraft that Seoul claims violated South Korea's airspace on Tuesday.
Later in the day, Bolton and Foreign Minister Kang Kyung-Wha also had talks on a wide range of issues including mounting tensions in the Strait of Hormuz.
The United States is asking allies to contribute personnel, naval vessels and funds for patrols in the Strait of Hormuz, the sea lane connecting the Persian Gulf and the Gulf of Oman through which more than a fifth of the world's oil passes.
South Korea said will consider Washington's request, while Japan rejected the US plan to form a naval campaign in the Persian Gulf.
Bolton arrived in Seoul on Tuesday from Japan for a two-day visit. In Tokyo, he held talks with Foreign Minister Taro Kono on Washington's bid to set up a coalition against Iran.
On June 20, The Japanese government expressed concern over the United States’ plans to deploy additional 1,000 troops to the Middle East following the recent attacks on oil tankers in the Sea of Oman.
Two oil tankers, Kokuka Courageous and Front Altair, suffered explosions and fires in the Sea of Oman near the Strait of Hormuz on June 13.
The United States claimed that Iran had attacked the vessels, Iran has denied all US baseless allegations and said the suspicious nature of the attacks is 'alarming'.
Meanwhile, the Japanese Prime Minister Abe Shinzo after visiting Iran described peace and security in the Middle East as both important and complicated and said that his country wants to have a contribution to the de-escalation of the regional tension.
The Japanese Prime Minister had an official trip to Iran on June 13 and held talks with the Leader of the Islamic Revolution Ayatollah Seyyed Ali Khamenei as well as President Hassan Rouhani. 101/205
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