Seoul: The US envoy to North Korea will meet with South Korean counterparts next week to discuss the international reaction to the North’s recent ICBM launches, the State Department announced.

Pyongyang has so far ignored US Special Representative Sung Kim’s overtures, accusing Washington of pursuing hostile policies such as sanctions and military drills.

North Korea conducted an intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM) test for the first time since 2017, and US and South Korean officials warn that there are signs that the country is preparing to resume nuclear weapons testing.

The State Department said Kim and his deputy, Jung Pak, will meet with South Korean officials, including nuclear envoy Noh Kyu-duk, and

The visit reaffirms US-South Korean cooperation on North Korean issues as they “seek to advance complete denuclearization and permanent peace on the Korean Peninsula.”

According to a draught resolution acquired by a US news agency, the US wants the UN Security Council to further restrict North Korea by banning tobacco, reducing oil exports, and blacklisting the Lazarus hacker organisation.

President-elect Yoon Suk-yeol, a conservative, has called for closer US-South Korean ties to dissuade the North.

His nomination for unification minister said on Thursday that while a Yoon administration may appear “hardline” and “hawkish” in its pursuit of military strength to prevent North Korean threats, he would seek to foster dialogue to calm tensions.

[embedpost slug=”/us-man-imprisoned-for-counselling-north-korea-on-crypto/”]