North Korea’s ballistic missile launch 3 days later condemns North Korea’s nuclear representatives from South Korea, the US and Japan… ‘a threat to peace and stability in the region’

North Korea launched a short-range ballistic missile on the 19th, continuing its fourth missile test this month. In response, the chief nuclear negotiators of South Korea, the United States, and Japan condemned through wire consultations the same day that it was a violation of United Nations Security Council resolutions and a provocation that threatened peace and stability on the Korean Peninsula and in the region .

The South Korean Joint Chiefs of Staff announced, at 11:05 am on the same day, that North Korea had detected a ballistic missile launched into the East Sea from Dongchang-ri, North Pyongan Province.

North Korea previously fired two submarine-launched cruise missiles on the 12th, a day before the start of the ROK-US joint exercise “Freedom Shield” (FS). On the 14th, two short-range ballistic missiles were fired, and on the 16th, when the Korea-Japan summit was held in Japan, an intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM) was fired. Meanwhile, the FS practice which started on the 13th will continue for 11 days until the 23rd.

North Korea has fired ballistic missiles a total of seven times this year, and a total of nine missiles if cruise missiles are included.

South Korea, the United States, and Japan condemned North Korea’s successive missile launches, calling them provocations.

According to the South Korean Ministry of Foreign Affairs, on the same day, Kim Gunn, head of the Korean Peninsula Peace Negotiations Headquarters, Sung Kim, the US special representative for North Korea, and Funakoshi Takehiro, director general of Japan’s Foreign Affairs Bureau of Asian Affairs and Oceanography held the Ministry of consultation with wires. The main negotiators of the three countries made it clear that North Korea’s short-range ballistic missile launch is a clear violation of several UN Security Council resolutions and a provocation that threatens peace and stability on the Korean Peninsula and in the region, and strongly condemn

They agreed to respond effectively to North Korea’s threats and provocations by maintaining a robust collective defense posture and strengthening security cooperation between South Korea, the United States and Japan. In addition, it was agreed to continue to strengthen communication and close cooperation between the three countries in order to elicit a firm and united response from the international community to North Korea’s provocations, including at the United Nations Security Council meeting on the 20th.

On the other hand, North Korea opposes the ongoing joint military exercises between South Korea and the United States, including the FS, threatening regional security.

In particular, as North Korea defines the theater-level ROK-US joint exercise as a ‘North Korean invasion exercise’ and strongly opposes it, there is a possibility that military activities such as missile launches will continue throughout the FS period scheduled until the 23rd. .

North Korean leader Kim Jong-un said on the 16th while providing on-the-spot guidance for the ICBM launch, “The more the anti-DPRK military agitation continues and expands, the more that they will make themselves realize that the irreversible threat looming against them will reach a serious level.” was told this

Meanwhile, according to the South Korean Ministry of Defense, on the 19th, the 7th day of the FS, South Korea and the United States conducted a joint air exercise over the Korean Peninsula while the US B-1B strategic bombers are sent to the Korean Peninsula. The deployment of the B-1B to the Korean Peninsula comes just 16 days after the combined air training over the West Sea and the middle inland on the 3rd of this month.