Special Representative for North Korea Policy at the U.S. Department of State, Sung Kim Photo by Yonhap News
[Asia Economy Reporter Donghoon Jung] Sung Kim, the U.S. Special Representative for North Korea at the State Department, condemned North Korea's recent test launch of a medium-range ballistic missile while also expressing a willingness for diplomatic resolution.
Ned Price, spokesperson for the U.S. State Department, stated on the 1st (local time) that Special Representative Kim conveyed this message during phone calls on the 29th and 30th of last month with Takehiro Funakoshi, Japan's chief nuclear envoy and Director-General of the Asian and Oceanian Affairs Bureau at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, and Noh Kyu-duk, Director-General of the South Korea Peace and Security Negotiations Division at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
The 29th of last month, U.S. time, was the day North Korea conducted a test launch of the Hwasong-12, a medium-range ballistic missile (IRBM). This was the seventh missile test since the beginning of the year and the most intense provocation since the launch of the Hwasong-15, an intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM)-class missile, in November 2017.
During the calls, Special Representative Kim condemned North Korea's ballistic missile launch as a violation of United Nations Security Council resolutions and an act that destabilizes the region.
The State Department also reported that Kim reaffirmed the United States' commitment to the complete denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula and its ironclad commitment to the defense of South Korea and Japan.
Special Representative Kim emphasized the U.S. commitment to engage in serious and sustained diplomacy with North Korea to achieve tangible progress and to continue close coordination with South Korea and Japan.
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