[Asia Economy Reporter Lee Ji-eun] U.S. Secretary of State Tony Blinken condemned North Korea's recent series of ballistic missile tests on the 12th (local time), while expressing continued willingness to engage in dialogue, stating there is "no hostile intent."
At a press conference following the trilateral foreign ministers' meeting of South Korea, the U.S., and Japan in Honolulu, Hawaii, Secretary Blinken said, "We condemn North Korea's recent ballistic missile launches."
Secretary Blinken pointed out that North Korea's missile launches are a clear violation of United Nations Security Council resolutions and said that they will continue to cooperate to find ways to hold North Korea accountable.
At the same time, he emphasized, "We want to stress that we have no hostile intent toward North Korea," and expressed willingness for dialogue by saying, "We are open to talks without preconditions."
Foreign Minister Chung Eui-yong also expressed strong concern over the heightened tensions caused by North Korea's successive missile launches and urged a prompt response to dialogue with the United States and others.
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