By Kim Rahn
President Moon Jae-in and Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe have agreed that the international community needs to increase pressure on North Korea to an "extreme" level, following Tuesday's ballistic missile test by Pyongyang, Cheong Wa Dae said Wednesday.
During a 25-minute phone conversation, the two leaders also agreed to seek stronger sanctions against Pyongyang at the United Nations Security Council (UNSC).
It was their fifth phone call since Moon's May 10 inauguration, and came only five days after the previous one. Wednesday's phone call was made at Abe's request.
"Moon and Abe agreed that the pressure on North Korea should increase to an extreme level so that the North will come forward for dialogue," presidential spokesman Park Soo-hyun said.
Their conversation indicated the two countries and the international community will focus on new and stronger pressure and sanctions against Pyongyang for now, rather than seeking dialogue, as the latest test was grave enough to heighten tension on the Korean Peninsula and in Northeast Asia.
North Korea confirmed Wednesday that it launched a Hwasong-12 intermediate-range ballistic missile (IRBM) that flew over Japan.
The range of the missile, about 2,700 kilometers, also showed Pyongyang could strike the U.S. territory of Guam, about 3,000 kilometers away, as it had earlier threatened.
The North's Korea Central News Agency (KCNA) said that leader Kim Jong-un supervised the launch and ordered his military to prepare more launches of missiles targeting the Pacific Ocean.
"Moon said the IRBM launch over Japan was violence against a neighboring country," Park said.
The KCNA said the launch of the missile was to counter the Ulchi Freedom Guardian joint military exercise between the United States and South Korea.
Moon also told Abe that Seoul held a National Security Council meeting immediately after the missile launch and he ordered a show of force with four F-15k fighter jets carrying out live bombing drills.
The two leaders renewed the importance of cooperation among South Korea, Japan and the U.S. in addressing the North Korea issue.
"They evaluated that close cooperation among the three nations led to the UNSC's swift call for a meeting and adoption of a statement on the first day of the meeting. They agreed to push for a new UNSC resolution imposing more detailed and effective sanctions against North Korea, and to make efforts to get cooperation from China and Russia on the issue," Park said.
Moon also expressed sympathy and comfort for the fear and threat Japanese people may have felt following the missile test, according to Park.
"The two leaders pledged to contact each other immediately over urgent issues in the future to discuss joint countermeasures, and to have more talks about the North Korea issue when they attend the Eastern Economic Forum in Vladivostok, Russia, in early September."
Regarding the issue, the presidential office is also seeking to arrange a phone conversation between Moon and his U.S. counterpart President Donald Trump, a Cheong Wa Dae official said, declining to be named.
Right after the North's latest provocation, Trump said that "all options" are on the table, a relatively muted response compared to his previous "fire and fury" rhetoric.
In the meantime, China said it is "working with other members" of the UNSC on a response to the missile launch.
Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi said his country will make "a necessary response" to the recent launch, adding that any new sanctions should be discussed with UNSC members.
His remarks came hours after the UNSC unanimously condemned Tuesday's test and Japan's U.N. ambassador suggested a new sanctions declaration.
.jpg/dims/resize/740/optimize) |
| President Moon Jae-in |
During a 25-minute phone conversation, the two leaders also agreed to seek stronger sanctions against Pyongyang at the United Nations Security Council (UNSC).
It was their fifth phone call since Moon's May 10 inauguration, and came only five days after the previous one. Wednesday's phone call was made at Abe's request.
"Moon and Abe agreed that the pressure on North Korea should increase to an extreme level so that the North will come forward for dialogue," presidential spokesman Park Soo-hyun said.
Their conversation indicated the two countries and the international community will focus on new and stronger pressure and sanctions against Pyongyang for now, rather than seeking dialogue, as the latest test was grave enough to heighten tension on the Korean Peninsula and in Northeast Asia.
North Korea confirmed Wednesday that it launched a Hwasong-12 intermediate-range ballistic missile (IRBM) that flew over Japan.
The range of the missile, about 2,700 kilometers, also showed Pyongyang could strike the U.S. territory of Guam, about 3,000 kilometers away, as it had earlier threatened.
.jpg) |
| Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe |
.jpg/dims/resize/84/optimize)
"Moon said the IRBM launch over Japan was violence against a neighboring country," Park said.
The KCNA said the launch of the missile was to counter the Ulchi Freedom Guardian joint military exercise between the United States and South Korea.
Moon also told Abe that Seoul held a National Security Council meeting immediately after the missile launch and he ordered a show of force with four F-15k fighter jets carrying out live bombing drills.
The two leaders renewed the importance of cooperation among South Korea, Japan and the U.S. in addressing the North Korea issue.
"They evaluated that close cooperation among the three nations led to the UNSC's swift call for a meeting and adoption of a statement on the first day of the meeting. They agreed to push for a new UNSC resolution imposing more detailed and effective sanctions against North Korea, and to make efforts to get cooperation from China and Russia on the issue," Park said.
Moon also expressed sympathy and comfort for the fear and threat Japanese people may have felt following the missile test, according to Park.
"The two leaders pledged to contact each other immediately over urgent issues in the future to discuss joint countermeasures, and to have more talks about the North Korea issue when they attend the Eastern Economic Forum in Vladivostok, Russia, in early September."
Regarding the issue, the presidential office is also seeking to arrange a phone conversation between Moon and his U.S. counterpart President Donald Trump, a Cheong Wa Dae official said, declining to be named.
Right after the North's latest provocation, Trump said that "all options" are on the table, a relatively muted response compared to his previous "fire and fury" rhetoric.
In the meantime, China said it is "working with other members" of the UNSC on a response to the missile launch.
Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi said his country will make "a necessary response" to the recent launch, adding that any new sanctions should be discussed with UNSC members.
His remarks came hours after the UNSC unanimously condemned Tuesday's test and Japan's U.N. ambassador suggested a new sanctions declaration.
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