North Korea’s passenger ferry Mangyongbong-92 at the Mukho Port in South Korea's eastern coast on February 6 (Photo: Xinhua/ VNA)

The Yonhap News Agency said the commitment was made at the 10th Defense Trilateral Talks, a working-level consultation held in Washington DC earlier this week and announced by South Korea's Ministry of National Defense on Friday.

The Ministry said in order to curb, thwart and eventually eradicate North Korea's illegal maritime activity, including illicit shipment, the three countries have decided to continue a pivotal role in multilateral coordination efforts to ensure the implementation of related UN Security Council resolutions.

The three countries urged the North to abandon its nuclear and ballistic missile programs in a complete, verifiable and irreversible way. They also welcomed announcements of back-to-back summits involving the two Koreas and the US.