Korea-Japan Foreign Ministers Talk on North Korea ICBM... Korea-US-Japan Deputy Ministers Also Hold Talks

[Image source=Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy Reporter Lee Ji-eun] On the morning of the 25th, Foreign Minister Chung Eui-yong held a phone call with Japanese Foreign Minister Hayashi Yoshimasa.

The two ministers pointed out and strongly condemned that North Korea's launch of a new intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM) the previous day was a clear violation of the UN Security Council resolutions and that North Korea had unilaterally broken its promise to the international community to suspend ICBM launches.

They also agreed that this launch poses a serious threat to the Korean Peninsula, the Northeast Asian region, and the international community as a whole, requiring a firm response, and urged North Korea to immediately cease any further provocative actions.

Both sides agreed to strengthen close communication and cooperation between Korea and Japan, as well as among Korea, the US, and Japan, regarding future response measures including additional UN Security Council actions, while keeping diplomatic channels open and continuing efforts to bring North Korea back to dialogue.

Minister Chung also held a phone call with US Secretary of State Antony Blinken the previous day to discuss joint responses by Korea and the US to North Korea's ICBM launch and future cooperation plans.

[Image source=Yonhap News]

The deputy foreign ministers of Korea, the US, and Japan also held a phone call on the same day to discuss North Korea's ICBM launch. On the morning of the 25th, First Vice Foreign Minister Choi Jong-geun spoke with US Deputy Secretary of State Wendy Sherman and Japanese Vice Minister for Foreign Affairs Mori Takeo.

The three deputy foreign ministers condemned North Korea's ICBM launch and urged North Korea to immediately cease provocative actions. They also agreed to maintain close communication and cooperation at all levels among the three countries regarding future response measures, including additional UN Security Council actions.

Additionally, the Korea-US-Japan deputy foreign ministers expressed deep concern over the escalating humanitarian crisis in Ukraine due to Russia's invasion and emphasized the importance of united international cooperation and response to resolve the current situation in Ukraine.

This call was held about two weeks after the last Korea-US-Japan deputy foreign ministers' call on the 11th. The three deputy foreign ministers reaffirmed the importance of Korea-US-Japan cooperation amid rapidly changing situations on the Korean Peninsula and internationally and agreed to continue close consultations going forward.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.