Top nuclear envoys of South Korea and Japan condemned North Korea’s ballistic missile launch, calling it a clear violation of U.N. Security Council(UNSC) resolutions, and urged the regime to halt actions that escalate tension.
According to Seoul’s foreign ministry, Noh Kyu-duk, special representative for Korean Peninsula peace and security affairs, met with his Japanese counterpart Takehiro Funakoshi in Seoul on Wednesday.
The two officials denounced North Korea’s latest provocation as a grave threat not only to the Korean peninsula but to the international community as well.
They called on Pyongyang to immediately cease additional action that may stoke tensions in the region and to reengage in dialogue and diplomacy.
The two sides agreed on continued cooperation on a concerted response with the international community, including UNSC-level measures, while carefully monitoring North Korea’s move and closely communicating with each other.
North Korea fired a ballistic missile toward the East Sea from the Sunan area in Pyongyang at around 12:03 p.m., when Noh and Funakoshi held a luncheon meeting.