[Asia Economy Reporter Yoo In-ho] The international community continues to emphasize dialogue in response to North Korea's military provocations.
The United States, along with the United Nations and the European Union (EU), stresses sanctions against North Korea's missile launches while agreeing that North Korea must halt its military provocations and come to the dialogue table.
The EU stated regarding North Korea's launch of an intermediate-range ballistic missile on the 30th of last month, "North Korea's repeated and blatant violations of UN Security Council resolutions only reinforce the need for stricter implementation of sanctions by the international community," according to a report by Voice of America (VOA) on the 1st.
In a comment sent to VOA the previous day, an EU spokesperson said, "The launch of an intermediate-range ballistic missile by North Korea shows a worrying escalation of actions threatening international and regional peace and security," and emphasized, "We repeatedly urge North Korea to engage in meaningful dialogue processes with the United States and South Korea aimed at creating conditions for sustainable peace and security on the Korean Peninsula."
The EU spokesperson also reaffirmed the EU's existing position, stating, "The EU remains committed to the goal, as required by multiple UN Security Council resolutions, that North Korea abandon its weapons of mass destruction, ballistic missiles, and existing nuclear programs in a comprehensive, verifiable, and irreversible manner."
Meanwhile, South Korea, the United States, and Japan are strengthening cooperation regarding North Korea. The permanent representatives of South Korea, the United States, and Japan to the UN discussed responses to North Korea's ballistic missile launches.
Linda Thomas-Greenfield, the US Ambassador to the UN, stated on her Twitter on the 31st of last month (local time) that she met with Cho Hyun, South Korea's UN Ambassador, and Ishikane Kimihiro, Japan's UN Ambassador, to discuss North Korea's recent consecutive missile launches.
At this meeting, the three countries reaffirmed their intention to strengthen trilateral cooperation for the complete denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula.
The UN ambassadors of South Korea, the United States, and Japan also appear to have exchanged views on the level of response at the UN Security Council in the future.
Previously, the UN Security Council expressed its willingness to take "additional significant measures" if North Korea conducts further nuclear tests or ballistic missile launches, as stipulated in various sanctions resolutions.
Meanwhile, the Biden administration in the United States reiterated its call for North Korea to engage in unconditional dialogue, expressing concerns about the possibility of North Korea resuming nuclear tests and intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM) test launches in connection with North Korea's intermediate-range ballistic missile (IRBM) test launch.
John Kirby, spokesperson for the US Department of Defense, said, "The United States has called for dialogue without preconditions, but Kim Jong-un seems to want to take a different path," adding, "We must ensure military readiness on the Korean Peninsula and in the region."
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