US Condemns North Korea's Missile Launch... Maintains Policy on COVID-19 Humanitarian Aid

[Asia Economy New York=Special Correspondent Joselgina] The U.S. administration under Joe Biden strongly condemned North Korea's missile provocations on the 25th (local time) but maintained its stance on humanitarian aid to North Korea amid the COVID-19 outbreak.

According to the State Department, Mark Lambert, Deputy Assistant Secretary of State for Korea and Japan, stated at a briefing that "including yesterday's launch, North Korea has fired a total of 23 ballistic missiles this year," and condemned it as "a violation of UN Security Council resolutions."

Deputy Assistant Secretary Lambert confirmed that Tony Blinken, U.S. Secretary of State, Park Jin, South Korean Foreign Minister, and Yoshimasa Hayashi, Japanese Foreign Minister, had a phone call, saying "All three ministers view North Korea's ballistic missile launches as clear violations of UN Security Council resolutions." Earlier, North Korea launched three ballistic missiles, including an intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM), into the East Sea the day before, as President Biden was returning home after his visits to South Korea and Japan.

He said, "North Korea's continuous provocations pose a threat to all countries and regional peace and security," and emphasized, "Condemning North Korea's repeated violations of Security Council resolutions and maintaining their enforcement is the duty of the entire international community."

However, Deputy Assistant Secretary Lambert mentioned regarding the impact of this provocation on humanitarian aid such as COVID-19 vaccines to North Korea, "We are cautious about North Korea's severe COVID-19 spread and concerned about its impact on North Korea's fragile economy." He explained, "The United States has always separated humanitarian aid from the issue of denuclearization on the Korean Peninsula," and "We strongly encourage and support international relief efforts."

Furthermore, he urged, "The United States is open to dialogue with North Korea on any issue without preconditions," and "We call on North Korea to cooperate with the international community to secure vaccines quickly."

Regarding North Korea's intent behind the provocations, Deputy Assistant Secretary Lambert avoided a direct answer, saying, "We have learned enough to know that trying to predict what North Korea will do or overanalyzing their intentions is not a wise game."

Meanwhile, he stated, "The South Korea-U.S. summit confirmed cooperation on security and prosperity in the Indo-Pacific region and beyond," and "The two leaders deepened the ROK-U.S. alliance in extended deterrence and reaffirmed the shared goal of complete denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula. They also expressed that the diplomatic path remains open and urged dialogue with North Korea."