Top diplomats of US, S. Korea, Japan vow continued efforts to end N. Korean provocations

North Korean leader Kim Jong-un attends a ruling party politburo meeting in Pyongyang, May 21, in this photo provided by the North Korean government. AP-Yonhap

The top diplomats of South Korea, Japan and the United States pledged Friday to make efforts to end North Korea's destabilizing activities and bring the country back to negotiations.

Secretary of State Antony Blinken, South Korean Foreign Minister Park Jin and Japanese Foreign Minister Yoshimasa Hayashi also expressed deep regret over the failed attempt to pass a new U.N. Security Council resolution on North Korea.

The U.N. Security Council voted on the U.S.-proposed resolution but failed to pass it due to opposition from China and Russia, both veto-wielding permanent members of the council and close allies of Pyongyang.

"In spite of 13 Security Council members' support, we deeply regret that the UNSC failed to adopt a resolution in response to the DPRK's blatant and repeated violations of UNSC resolutions," the foreign ministers said in a joint statement released by the State Department.

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"We reaffirm our commitment to further strengthen our coordination with the international community to urge the DPRK to cease its unlawful activities and instead engage in dialogue," they added, referring to North Korea by its official name, the Democratic People's Republic of Korea.

North Korea has so far staged 17 missile tests this year, with the latest held Tuesday (KST), in which the recalcitrant state fired three ballistic missiles, including an apparent intercontinental ballistic missile.

The State Department earlier noted that Pyongyang has now at least six ICBMs this year.

"The United States, the Republic of Korea (ROK), and Japan strongly condemn the recent Democratic People's Republic of Korea ballistic missile launches, commit to strengthen trilateral cooperation towards the complete denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula and full implementation of relevant United Nations Security Council (UNSC) resolutions, and underscore continued openness to meeting with the DPRK without preconditions," the foreign ministers said.

They reiterated their commitment to engaging with North Korea in serious dialogue.

"We stress that a path to serious and sustained dialogue remains open and urge the DPRK to return to negotiations," the joint statement said.

They also urged North Korea to work with the international community to stop the spread of COVID-19 in the impoverished nation.

"We express our deep concern at the grave hardship the people in the DPRK are experiencing, including due to the ongoing outbreak of COVID-19, and hope the DPRK will respond positively to international offers of assistance," they said. (Yonhap)

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