US, S Korea urge Norths return to talks after missile tests

The U.S. unique envoy for North Korea says Washington and Seoul have settled on the need for a strong reaction to Pyongyangs current spate of rocket tests, though they remain open to dialogue with the countryBy HYUNG-JIN KIM Associated PressApril 18, 2022, 10:59 AM – 3 min readShare to FacebookShare to TwitterEmail this articleSEOUL, South Korea– The U.S. special envoy for North Korea stated Monday that Washington and Seoul settled on the need for a strong action to Pyongyangs recent spate of rocket tests, though they stay open to dialogue with the country.Sung Kim flew to South Korea on for talks two days after North Korea carried out a brand-new kind of rocket test in its 13th round of weapons shooting this year. Specialists state North Korea desires to advance its weapons toolbox and wrest concessions like sanctions relief from its rivals.Weapons tested consist of nuclear-capable missiles targeting both the U.S. mainland and its allies such as South Korea and Japan. There are concerns that North Korea might conduct a nuclear test quickly to intensify its pressure campaign.”We settled on the requirement for a strong action to the destabilizing behavior we have seen from” North Korea, Kim told press reporters after a conference with his South Korean equivalent. “(We) also agreed on the need to preserve the strongest possible joint deterrent ability on the peninsula.”South Korean nuclear envoy Noh Kyu-duk stated he and Kim shared concerns that North Korea will likely continue to engage in acts that raise local stress. He urged North Korea to go back to talks.Kim said the allies “have not closed the door on diplomacy” with North Korea and have “no hostile intents toward” the nation. He duplicated his earlier declaration that the United States is ready to satisfy North Korea “anywhere, without any conditions.”North Korea has up until now rejected Kims outreach, stating the United States must first drop its hostile policy before talks can resume. Some experts say North Korea wants the U.S. to relax sanctions or suspend its routine military drills with South Korea, which it views as an intrusion rehearsal.Earlier Monday, the U.S. and South Korean armed forces kicked off their springtime computer-simulated command post workout. North Korea has actually previously reacted to such drills with rocket tests and aggressive rhetoric.North Korea stated Sunday it checked a brand-new tactical directed weapon a day previously, which would increase its nuclear fighting capability. Some analysts stated the weapon is likely a short-range ballistic missile to be installed with a tactical nuclear warhead that targets South Korea.Last month, North Korea test-fired an intercontinental ballistic rocket possibly capable of reaching the U.S. homeland in its first long-range weapons test because November 2017.U.S.-led diplomacy implied to persuade North Korea to abandon its nuclear ambitions in return for political and financial rewards remain mostly stalemated because 2019.