U.S., Japan and South Korea eye foreign ministers' meeting in May: media

TOKYO (Reuters) - The United States, Japan and South Korea are arranging a meeting of their foreign ministers during the G7 meeting in the United Kingdom next week, the Yomiuri Shimbun reported on Thursday, citing multiple government sources.

U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken, Japanese Foreign Minister Toshimitsu Motegi and South Korean Foreign Minister Chung Eui-yong are expected to affirm their cooperation on dealing with North Korea's nuclear and missile development, according to the newspaper article.

North Korea test launched two suspected ballistic missiles into the sea near Japan in March, underscoring steady progress in its weapons programme.

This month, Japanese Prime Minister Yoshihide Suga said he and U.S. President Joe Biden agreed to insist that Pyongyang abide by United Nations resolutions on its nuclear arsenal and missiles.

The United States is taking the lead in arranging the trilateral talks on the sidelines of the G7 foreign ministers' meeting, to be held May 3-5, the Yomiuri reported its source as saying.

Mogi and Blinken are also expected to hold a meeting, but it is unclear whether bilateral talks between the Japanese and South Korean foreign ministers will take place, the newspaper said.

(Reporting by Eimi Yamamitsu; Editing by Karishma Singh and Gerry Doyle)

FILE PHOTO: Japan's Foreign Minister Toshimitsu Motegi attends a news conference at Prime Minister Shinzo Abe's official residence in Tokyo, Japan September 11, 2019. REUTERS/Issei Kato

FILE PHOTO: U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken participates in a virtual bilateral meeting with Kenyan President Uhuru Kenyatta at the State Department in Washington, U.S. April 27, 2021. REUTERS/Leah Millis

FILE PHOTO: South Korean Foreign Minister Chung Eui-yong speaks during a joint news conference after the Foreign and Defense Ministerial meeting between South Korea and the U.S. at the Foreign Ministry in Seoul, South Korea, March 18, 2021. Lee Jin-man/Pool via REUTERS

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