Secretary Blinken condemns N. Korean missile tests in talks with S. Korean FM

WASHINGTON -- US Secretary of State Antony Blinken condemned North Korea's recent missile launches Thursday, while reaffirming the US-South Korea alliance as the linchpin of peace, in bilateral talks with his South Korean counterpart Chung Eui-yong.

Blinken also reaffirmed US commitment to engage with North Korea in dialogue.

"Secretary Blinken reaffirmed the alliance as the linchpin of peace, security, and prosperity in the Indo-Pacific and beyond and discussed ways to further deepen cooperation on regional and global issues," state department spokesperson Ned Price said of Blinken's call with Chung.

"The Secretary condemned the Democratic People's Republic of Korea's (DPRK) recent ballistic missile launches, which were in violation of multiple UN Security Council resolutions, and reaffirmed openness to diplomacy and dialogue with the DPRK," he added, referring to North Korea by its official name.

North Korea test fired what it called an intermediate- or long-range ballistic missile on Sunday (Seoul time), the seventh missile launch since the start of the year.

Blinken stressed the importance of cooperation between the US, South Korea and Japan.

"The Secretary also emphasized trilateral cooperation with Japan towards the complete denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula," Price said a in a press release.

The Blinken-Chung talks came a day after Chung held a telephone conversation with Japanese Foreign Minister Hayashi Yoshimasa.

Blinken and Hayashi talked on the phone the previous day.

Blinken also thanked Chung for South Korea's "commitment to working with the United States on ending the COVID-19 pandemic," according to the department spokesperson.

"The Secretary reiterated the United States' unwavering support for Ukraine's sovereignty and territorial integrity and discussed efforts to deter Russia from further military action or other aggressive acts," the press release said. (Yonhap)