US special representative arrives in Seoul to discuss North Korea
The US special representative arrives in Seoul to discuss the international community’s response to the DPRK’s recent ICBM launches.
Sung Kim, the US Special Representative for North Korea, has arrived in Seoul on a five-day visit to discuss regional security and recent North Korean missile launches with Noh Kyu-duk, the South Korean Special Representative for Korean Peninsula Peace and Security Affairs.
"It's great to be back in Seoul to continue our close coordination on DPRK [North Korean] developments," Kim told reporters, as quoted by South Korean news agency Yonhap.
Kim will also meet with members of President-elect Yoon Suk-yeol transition's team to discuss North Korean policy, as well as Kim Sung-Han, the head of the Korean National Committee of the CSCAP (Council on Security Cooperation in the Asia Pacific), and Park Jin, the foreign ministry nominee.
The Joint Chiefs of Staff of South Korea announced on Sunday that North Korea had launched two projectiles toward the Sea of Japan from Hamhung on the peninsula's east coast. The flight range was predicted to be 68 miles (109.4 km), with a maximum height of 15.5 miles (25 km).
North Korea launched its twelfth missile since the start of 2022 on March 24, aiming for a new Hwasong-17 intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM) at the Sea of Japan. The launch was viewed by Seoul as a violation of UN Security Council resolutions, and Pyongyang was denounced for inflaming regional tensions.
Pyongyang has maintained a voluntary embargo on nuclear tests and ICBM launches since the end of 2017.
On the other hand, in January, North Korean leader Kim Jong Un decided to consider the resumption of "all temporarily suspended activities" based on what he described as hostile policy on the part of the US.