WASHINGTON, D.C. – A U.S. diplomat held talks with South Korea and Japan after North Korea continues to fire missiles in the direction of Japan over the course of the last several days.
The following is attributable to Spokesperson Ned Price:
U.S. Special Representative for the DPRK Sung Kim held separate calls on January 11 with Japanese Ministry of Foreign Affairs Director General for Asian and Oceanian Affairs Bureau Funakoshi Takehiro and ROK Special Representative for Korean Peninsula Peace and Security Affairs Noh Kyu-duk to discuss bilateral and trilateral cooperation following the DPRK’s recent ballistic missile launches.
In his calls with Special Representative Noh and Director General Funakoshi, Special Representative Kim assessed the current situation on the Korean Peninsula and reaffirmed U.S. commitment to make progress toward the shared goal of the complete denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula.
Special Representative Kim emphasized U.S. condemnation of the DPRK’s January 4 and January 10 (EST) ballistic missile launches, which violated multiple UN Security Council resolutions, and called on the DPRK to refrain from such destabilizing activities and engage in dialogue with the United States. Special Representative Kim underscored continued U.S. openness to dialogue and diplomacy with the DPRK. He further reiterated Washington’s ironclad commitment to its allies, the ROK and Japan. The January 11 calls were the latest in a number of calls made between the three since January 5.
On Jan. 12, the United States designated eight DPRK-linked individuals and entities under Executive Order 13382, which targets proliferators of weapons of mass destruction (WMD) and WMD delivery systems. The seven individuals and one entity designated are all linked to the DPRK’s weapons programs.
North Korea has reportedly launched missile salvos several times in recent days, allegedly in anger of sanctions imposed upon it by the U.S.
The Korean War was fought from 1950–1953, over the spread Communism. The U.S. suffered 128,650 casualties and 54,260 deaths. Hundreds of thousands of enemy soldiers and civilians were killed or wounded in the war, which never officially ended. Talks are underway between the U.S., South Korea and North Korea to make it official, at this time.
