Cheong, NSC Emergency Standing Committee Meeting Held... "Very Regretful of North Korea's Missile"

Due to stagnant air conditions, the concentration of ultrafine dust reached a 'bad' level on the 26th, causing the Blue House in Seoul to appear hazy. Photo by Mun Ho-nam munonam@

[Asia Economy Reporter Lee Ji-eun] On the 27th, the government held a Standing Committee meeting of the National Security Council (NSC) and expressed regret over North Korea's missile launch.

The government held an emergency NSC Standing Committee meeting from 9:00 a.m. to 9:50 a.m. that day, and after receiving a report on the launch trends from Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Won In-chul regarding the unidentified short-range projectile launch presumed to be a North Korean ballistic missile, it reviewed the security situation and discussed response measures.

The attendees reiterated their position that North Korea's consecutive missile launches are very regrettable as they go against the demands of South Korea and the international community, who wish for peace and stability on the Korean Peninsula and in the region.

Moreover, they urged North Korea to promptly respond to the international community's hopes by engaging in dialogue to resolve issues and emphasized that there should be no further deterioration of the situation on the Korean Peninsula.

In addition, under close cooperation between South Korea and the United States, they agreed to closely monitor North Korea's additional movements, analyze the detailed specifications of the projectiles, and review the impact of North Korea's recent consecutive missile launches on the situation related to the Korean Peninsula to devise necessary response measures.

Attendees at the Standing Committee meeting included National Security Office Director Suh Hoon, Presidential Secretary for Policy Yoo Young-min, Foreign Minister Chung Eui-yong, Unification Minister Lee In-young, Defense Minister Suh Wook, National Intelligence Service Director Park Jie-won, Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Won In-chul, First Deputy Director of the National Security Office Seo Joo-seok, and First Deputy Director of the Office for Government Policy Coordination Yoon Chang-ryeol.