Seoul to push for tougher sanctions on NK missiles

Published : Mar 7, 2017 - 10:09 Updated : Mar 7, 2017 - 11:06

The South Korean government and the ruling party agreed on the need to push for more "effective" sanctions to counter North Korea's persistent provocations Tuesday, a day after Pyongyang fired off four ballistic missiles into the East Sea.

The government and the Liberty Korea Party also agreed to closely communicate with Washington through the two-plus-two consultative institution, a key dialogue channel involving top defense and diplomatic officials, the party's policy chief Lee Hyun-jae told reporters.

(Yonhap)

"(The two sides agreed that) there is a need for additional, strong anti-Pyongyang sanctions," Lee said. "Secondly, (we agreed) to maintain a firm readiness posture (to counter) Pyongyang's additional provocations."

Lee did not elaborate on additional measures, but he said this matter should be discussed at the United Nations.

The two sides also agreed to make "active efforts" to put Pyongyang back on the US list of state sponsors of terror in consideration of the recent assassination of its leader Kim Jong-un's half brother.

Kim Jong-nam was killed with the lethal VX nerve agent at an international airport in the Malaysian capital of Kuala Lumpur on Feb. 13. Seoul blamed Pyongyang for the killing, but the communist regime denied the claims.

Pyongyang's latest missile provocations sharply raised cross-border tensions. The launch is seen as its angry response to the ongoing military drills by Seoul and Washington, and the allies' accelerated move to install a US missile defense system on the peninsula. (Yonhap)