UN Urges North Korea to Return to Denuclearization Talks Amid South Korea Occupation Drills

[Image source=Reuters Yonhap News]

The United Nations has called for a return to denuclearization talks to ease tensions on the Korean Peninsula, following a full-scale command exercise that included a scenario of North Korea occupying the southern half of the peninsula.

On the 1st (local time) at a regular briefing held at the UN Headquarters in New York, UN spokesperson St?phane Dujarric was asked about the simulation of a nuclear attack targeting South Korea and the command exercise involving the occupation of southern territory. He responded, "This is not the direction we want."

He emphasized, "The direction we want is a reduction of tensions on the Korean Peninsula and a return to negotiations for the complete denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula by North Korea."

Meanwhile, in the early hours of the 2nd, North Korea launched several cruise missiles into the West Sea. The Joint Chiefs of Staff stated on the 2nd, "Our military detected several cruise missiles launched by North Korea into the West Sea from around 4 a.m. today," adding, "The South Korean and U.S. intelligence authorities are conducting a detailed analysis of the specifications."

North Korea's missile provocation came three days after it fired two short-range ballistic missiles (SRBMs) into the East Sea from the Sunan area of Pyongyang on the 30th of last month, and two days after the conclusion of the South Korea-U.S. joint exercise 'Ulchi Freedom Shield (UFS)'.

Earlier, the Korean Central News Agency reported on the 31st of last month that the General Staff of the Korean People's Army had conducted a full-scale command exercise starting from the 29th of last month in response to the South Korea-U.S. joint exercise, and that State Affairs Commission Chairman Kim Jong Un reviewed the training status on site.

North Korea stated that the goal of this exercise was the "total occupation of the entire southern territory," and partially disclosed an operational plan that could be executed in case of emergency.

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