Washington Calls on North Korea to "Refrain from Further Provocations"
The US State Department reveals the details of a tripartite meeting held today in Washington with Japan and South Korea.
The US Department of State announced that its Special Representative for North Korea Policy Sung Kim took part in a tripartite meeting in Washington to discuss US-Japan-ROK cooperation in regards to the DPRK.
The meeting included the Japanese Ministry of Foreign Affairs Director-General for Asian and Oceanian Affairs Bureau, Funakoshi Takehiro, and Republic of Korea (ROK) Special Representative for Korean Peninsula Peace and Security Affairs, Noh Kyu-duk.
The meeting discussed the current situation in the Korean peninsula, and cooperation between the three parties to limit tensions and make progress toward the complete denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula.
Sung Kim affirmed the US' condemnation for the DPRK's launching of a ballistic missile today, which violates a number of security council resolutions, and called on North Korea "to refrain from further provocations and engage in sustained and substantive dialogue."
The US representative also reiterated Washington's strong commitment to its allies, South Korea and Japan, announcing his support for "humanitarian aid for oppressed North Koreans", stressing the US' commitment to an immediate resolution to kidnappings.
He also told reporters that the US will continue its diplomatic path with North Korea in order to take concrete steps to improve the security of the US and its allies.
DRPK: US "root cause" of tensions in Korean Peninsula
Last week, DRPK Leader Kim Jong-un had described the US as being the root cause of tensions in the Korean peninsula.
North Korea test-fired a new long-range cruise missile on October 10, the Korean Central News Agency reported, amid accusations from the US that the country is posing a threat to its neighbors.
The nuclear talks between North Korea and the US have been frozen since the Hanoi summit, held in 2019 between Kim and then-President Donald Trump, collapsed as a result of the concessions the US asked Pyongyang to make in exchange for lightening sanctions imposed against it.