US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton has met with her Japanese and South Korean counterparts in Washington, to discuss tensions arising from the DPRK's nuclear advances and its shelling of a South Korean island last month.

Hillary Clinton, US Secretary of Stat, said, "This is always an important meeting when we have a chance to discuss the full range of the issues, that we are confronting, but is particularly significant now, as we discuss the important challenges we confront the actions of the North Korea."

Seiji Maehara, Japanese Foreign Minister, said, "It's not just to criticize North Korea and condemn its action, but we need to really think about how we can find a way to bring peace to Northeast Asia and to the Korean Peninsula."