On the 26th, the nuclear envoys of the U.S., South Korea, and Japan had a phone conference on North Korea’s recent ballistic missile launch. They are closely monitoring North Korea’s additional provocations following the North Korea-Russia summit.
Director of the Korean Peninsula Policy Office at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs Lee Jun Il held a tripartite phone conference with Senior Official for North Korea at the U.S. Department of State Jung Pak and Asia-Pacific Director of the Japanese Ministry of Foreign Affairs Hamamoto Yukiya to evaluate North Korea’s ballistic missile launch and discuss cooperation strategies.
They stated, “North Korea’s ballistic missile launch is a clear violation of several UN Security Council resolutions, posing a serious threat to the peace and stability of the Korean Peninsula and the international community. We will continue to closely monitor the possibility of any further provocations from North Korea following the Russia-North Korea summit. We will also maintain close cooperation based on the strong U.S.-Korea alliance and U.S.-Korea-Japan security cooperation to firmly respond to North Korea’s provocations and threats.”
From June 18-19, Russian President Vladimir Putin visited North Korea. He held a summit with Kim Jong Un and signed a Comprehensive Strategic Partnership Agreement similar to a military alliance. There are concerns that North Korea’s nuclear and missile threats may escalate and provoke further due to the close ties between North Korea and Russia, causing the three countries to keep an eye on the situation. North Korea has been continuously provoking by launching a ballistic missile in the early hours of the day following the trash balloon launches on the 24th and 25th.
Lee stated, “North Korea has recently resumed launching anti-South propaganda balloons. Our government will maintain a firm and seamless readiness posture against any provocations from North Korea, ensuring the safety of our citizens and national security.”
At the end of this month, the U.S., South Korea, and Japan will conduct the Freedom Edge exercise. It is the first multi-domain military exercise involving all three countries. The U.S. Navy aircraft carrier U.S.S. Theodore Roosevelt will also participate in the exercise. The U.S. and South Korea will conduct the Ulji Freedom Guardian (UFS) exercise in August. For the first time, nuclear operations assuming North Korea’s nuclear weapons usage will be included, following discussions among the US-Korea Nuclear Consultation Group (NCG).
