South Korea, the United States and Japan agreed Wednesday to accelerate discussions on establishing an alternative mechanism to monitor the implementation of U.N. Security Council (UNSC) sanctions against North Korea within this year, Seoul's foreign ministry said. The agreement, reached during phone talks between the nuclear envoys of the three countries, came as a U.N. expert panel monitoring the enforcement of anti-North Korea sanctions has been disbanded due to Russia's veto of a resolution on its mandate renewal earlier this year. "The three countries have agreed to speed up discussions on establishing and launching an alternative mechanism within this year to thoroughly monitor and report on the implementation of UNSC sanctions against North Korea," the ministry said in a release. The meeting was attended by Cho Koo-rae, South Korea's Vice Foreign Minister for Strategy and Intelligence, Daniel Kritenbrink, U.S. Assistant Secretary of State for East Asian and Pacific Affairs, and Namazu Hiroyuki, Jap an's assistant minister for Asian and Oceanian Affairs. The three sides will continue to lead the thorough implementation of UNSC resolutions by the international community while strengthening cooperation among allied countries, according to the ministry. The officials also shared their evaluations of recent developments in Pyongyang-Moscow relations and their illegal military cooperation, which seriously threatens international peace and stability beyond the Korean Peninsula. The three representatives expressed grave concern over North Korea's continued provocations, including ballistic missile launches, and reaffirmed their strong commitment to achieving North Korea's denuclearization. They further urged North Korea to immediately cease all provocations and destabilizing activities and return to dialogue for the peace, stability and denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula. Source: Yonhap News Agency