US-Korea Nuclear Envoys Hold Emergency Meeting in Seoul Over North Korea's 'Barrage of Ballistic Missiles' Launch

"South Korea, US, Japan Maintain Close Trilateral Cooperation
North Korea Must Promptly Halt Further Escalation of Tensions"

Kim Gun, Director General for Korean Peninsula Peace and Security Affairs at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, is holding a trilateral meeting on North Korea's nuclear issue with senior representatives from the United States and Japan at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs building in Jongno-gu, Seoul, on the 3rd./Photo by Kim Hyun-min kimhyun81@

[Asia Economy Reporter Cha Min-young] On the 5th, immediately after North Korea launched a barrage of short-range ballistic missiles, the chief nuclear negotiators of South Korea and the United States held an emergency meeting in Seoul to discuss response measures.

Kim Gun, Director of the Korean Peninsula Peace Negotiation Division at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, met with Sung Kim, the U.S. Special Representative for North Korea, at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs building in Seoul that morning to discuss North Korea's ballistic missile launches, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs announced.

This meeting between the South Korea-U.S. chief nuclear negotiators came two days after the trilateral talks among South Korea, the U.S., and Japan held in Seoul on the 3rd. With Sung Kim still staying in Seoul, the two sides quickly held another face-to-face consultation following North Korea's renewed missile launches. They also connected by phone with Japan’s chief nuclear negotiator, Takehiro Funakoshi, Director-General of the Asian and Oceanian Affairs Bureau at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, who had returned to Japan, to conduct trilateral consultations.

The three chief nuclear negotiators from the three countries pointed out that North Korea’s ballistic missile launches on that day clearly violated multiple United Nations Security Council resolutions and were provocations that heightened tensions on the Korean Peninsula and in the region, strongly condemning the actions. The Ministry of Foreign Affairs also reported that they expressed deep regret that North Korea continues missile development despite the hardships faced by its people due to the spread of COVID-19.

They agreed to maintain a robust South Korea-U.S. and U.S.-Japan combined defense posture while keeping close communication and cooperation among the three countries for a unified international response. They also reiterated that the door to dialogue remains open and urged North Korea to promptly cease further provocative acts and return to the path of dialogue and diplomacy.

According to the Joint Chiefs of Staff, North Korea launched eight short-range ballistic missiles (SRBMs) into the East Sea from areas including Sunan in Pyongyang on that day. This missile launch was North Korea’s third provocation since the inauguration of the Yoon Suk-yeol administration and the 18th show of force this year alone.

It is considered unusual to launch eight missiles in a single salvo. The chief negotiators of South Korea, the U.S., and Japan likely evaluated North Korea’s launch intentions and discussed ways to strengthen cooperation in preparation for additional provocations.

Meanwhile, it was reported that Kim Gun will depart in the afternoon after completing his visit to South Korea.

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