Hwang calls for foreign diplomats' active role in addressing NK threats

South Korea's Acting President and Prime Minister Hwang Kyo-ahn on Thursday called on foreign envoys from the 15 member states of the UN Security Council (UNSC) to play an "active" role in coping with North Korea's evolving military threats.

During a meeting with the diplomats stationed in Seoul, Hwang also stressed that last month's first ministerial-level UNSC meeting on Pyongyang's denuclearization underscored the "gravity and urgency" of the nuclear conundrum and the international community's determination to end it.

"Hwang called on the ambassadors to continue to play an active role in ensuring the UNSC will respond strongly to the North's provocations and threats, as its nuclear and missile problems are not only limited to the peninsula or Northeast Asia, but are directly linked to the world's peace and security," the prime minister's office said in a press release.

The diplomats, in turn, shared the view that the international community has to stand united in dealing with the North's saber-rattling and further strengthen cooperation in implementing sanctions against the communist regime, the press release read.

Right after the meeting, Hwang met separately with Japanese Ambassador to Seoul Yasumasa Nagamine. The acting president expressed expectations that Seoul and Tokyo can work together to enhance their bilateral relationship strained by historical and territorial feuds.

The one-on-one meeting was arranged at the request of the Japanese side.

(Yonhap)