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| South Korean Foreign Minister Park Jin, right, U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken, left, and Japanese counterpart, Yoshimasa Hayashi hold a joint press conference after bilateral talks at the Department of State in Washington on Feb. 3, in this captured file photo. Yonhap |
The top diplomats of South Korea, Japan and the United States strongly condemned North Korea's long-range ballistic missile launch Saturday, vowing to take "appropriate action."
South Korean Foreign Minister Park Jin said Pyongyang will face "more severe sanctions" by the international community following a trilateral meeting with his U.S. and Japanese counterparts ― Antony Blinken and Yoshimasa Hayashi, respectively ― in Munich, Germany.
"The DPRK once again launched a ballistic missile ― this one apparently falling in the exclusive economic zone of Japan," Blinken told a joint press conference at a Munich hotel, according to a script of the press event released by the State Department.
"We call on others to condemn this action, to take appropriate steps, including the effective enforcement of sanctions, and countries that have influence with North Korea should use it to try to move it from the course that it's been on now for the last couple of years," Blinken added.
DPRK stands for the Democratic People's Republic of Korea, North Korea's official name.
North Korea fired a Hwasong-15 intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM) early Saturday (Korea time), marking its first ICBM launch since November.
The latest North Korean missile launch also followed an unprecedented 69 ballistic missile tests in 2022 that included eight ICBM tests.
Blinken insisted that North Korea's provocations will only lead to further isolation of the impoverished country.
"We have been very clear that our commitment to the security of our close allies and partners ― South Korea and Japan ― is ironclad," the top U.S. diplomat was quoted as saying.
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| The alleged test-firing of a Hwasong-17 intercontinental ballistic missile from an undisclosed location in North Korea, March 24, 2022, is seen in this photo distributed by the North Korean government. AP-Yonhap |
"And so the result of these actions by North Korea is simply to even further solidify the work that we do together, the alliance that we share, and our commitment to the defense of our partners and allies," he added.
The Japanese foreign minister said the three countries, along with other Group of 7 countries, have agreed to "take a robust response, including at the U.N. Security Council."
"So let our three countries work closely together in responding to North Korea's provocations, including through trilateral security cooperation, which aims to enhance deterrence," Hayashi said.
Park said the three countries will continue to strengthen their defense cooperation and joint deterrence.
"The ROK-U.S. alliance will be ironclad, extended deterrence will be strengthened, and ROK-U.S.-Japan security cooperation will be deepened," said Park, referring to South Korea by its official name, the Republic of Korea.
"North Korea will face more severe sanctions by the international community. Pyongyang will gain nothing from its provocations. We urge Pyongyang to immediately cease all provocations and return to denuclearization talks," Park added, according to the State Department.
Blinken also called on North Korea to engage in dialogue, saying, "We have made clear over many, many months that we were prepared to engage with North Korea without any preconditions."
Meanwhile, U.N. National Security Council spokesperson Adrienne Watson condemned the North's latest missile launch, calling it a "flagrant violation" of multiple U.N. Security Council resolutions.
"While U.S. INDOPACOM (Indo-Pacific Command) has assessed it did not pose an immediate threat to U.S. personnel, or territory, or to our allies, this launch needlessly raises tensions and risks destabilizing the security situation in the region," Watson said in a released statement.
"It only demonstrates that the DPRK continues to prioritize its unlawful weapons of mass destruction and ballistic missile programs over the well-being of its people," she added.
Watson said the U.S. will take all necessary steps to ensure the security of the country and its allies, while urging North Korea to engage in dialogue.
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