Sherman: "Firm Response if North Korea Conducts 7th Nuclear Test"

[Asia Economy Reporter Yoo In-ho] Wendy Sherman, U.S. Deputy Secretary of State, stated on the 7th regarding additional sanctions on North Korea, “(If North Korea proceeds with its 7th nuclear test) there will be a swift and resolute response.”

[Image source=Yonhap News]

This sends a strong warning message to Kim Jong-un, General Secretary of the Workers' Party of Korea.

During her visit to Korea, Deputy Secretary Sherman met with Cho Hyun-dong, First Vice Minister of Foreign Affairs, at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs building in the morning. After the meeting, she told reporters in response to a question about whether South Korea and the U.S. had discussed independent sanctions measures in preparation for the failure to adopt new UN Security Council sanctions resolutions due to opposition from China and Russia regarding North Korea’s 7th nuclear test, “There will be a swift and resolute response to such a test.”

Deputy Secretary Sherman emphasized, “Not only South Korea, the U.S., and Japan, but the entire world will respond in a strong and clear manner. We are prepared.”

She added, “We will continue trilateral discussions tomorrow. We are fully coordinated and ready to respond.”

When asked about what joint contingency plans the U.S. and its allies have prepared in anticipation of North Korea’s 7th nuclear test, she replied, “North Korea will find out.”

Vice Minister Cho said, “If North Korea conducts a nuclear test, we will have no choice but to consider additional sanctions against North Korea in coordination with the U.S. and the international community.”

He added, “Along with that, I clearly state that additional measures within the framework of the South Korea-U.S. defense posture will also have to be considered.”

The two vice ministers agreed to closely cooperate on future measures at the UN Security Council and General Assembly levels.

The South Korea-U.S. vice ministers also mentioned the reactivation of the high-level Extended Deterrence Strategy Consultation Group (EDSCG) agreed upon at last month’s South Korea-U.S. summit.

However, both countries reaffirmed their willingness to provide humanitarian aid concerning the spread of COVID-19 in North Korea.

Deputy Secretary Sherman said, “South Korea and the U.S. proposed humanitarian aid to North Korea, but it was not accepted. I hope Kim Jong-un focuses on addressing the COVID-19 situation within North Korea to help the people rather than engaging in provocative, dangerous, and destabilizing actions, and returns to the negotiating table.”

Meanwhile, Deputy Secretary Sherman stated, “We discussed how to implement the vision presented by President Joe Biden and President Yoon Suk-yeol,” mentioning, as part of this, the implementation of the Indo-Pacific Economic Framework (IPEF) and cooperation for peace and stability in the Taiwan Strait.

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