Summary of external news of North Korea this week

NK weekly-external news

Summary of external news of North Korea this week

SEOUL, July 14 (Yonhap) -- The following is a summary of external news of North Korea this week.

------------

(LEAD) Top diplomats of S. Korea, U.S., Japan to hold talks after N. Korea's ICBM launch

JAKARTA -- The top diplomats of South Korea, the United States and Japan are scheduled to hold three-way talks Friday to discuss ways to deal with North Korea's evolving threats highlighted by this week's test-firing of an intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM), according to Seoul's foreign ministry.

South Korean Foreign Minister Park Jin and his U.S. and Japanese counterparts, Antony Blinken and Yoshimasa Hayashi, respectively, were visiting Jakarta to attend annual regional meetings led by the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN).

------------

U.S. calls for UNSC action against N. Korean ICBM test, but China, Russia veto

WASHINGTON -- The United States and 12 other members of the United Nations Security Council (UNSC) unsuccessfully sought to hold North Korea accountable for its recent long-range missile test Thursday due to opposition from China and Russia.

North Korea, making its first appearance at a UNSC meeting since 2017, also rejected international condemnation of its missile launch, insisting that it was a legitimate test that had no effect on the security of any neighboring nation.

------------

Top diplomats of G7 condemn N. Korea's ICBM test, call for strong response by UNSC

WASHINGTON -- Foreign ministers of the Group of 7 (G7) countries condemned North Korea's recent long-range missile test on Thursday, calling it a flagrant violation of United Nations Security Council resolutions.

They also called for a "strong and unified response" by the U.N. Security Council (UNSC), hours before the 15-member council was set to hold an emergency meeting in New York to discuss the North's latest missile provocation.

------------

S. Korea, U.S. stage air drills, involving B-52H strategic bomber after N.K. ICBM launch

SEOUL -- South Korea and the United States conducted combined air drills, involving at least one U.S. B-52H strategic bomber, over the Korean Peninsula on Thursday, Seoul's Joint Chiefs of Staff (JCS) said, a day after North Korea fired an intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM).

The North's state media has confirmed the country fired a solid-fuel Hwasong-18 ICBM on Wednesday, raising tensions already heightened by the North's accusations earlier this week claiming U.S. military spy aircraft "intruded" into the area over its exclusive economic zone.

------------

(LEAD) U.S. condemns N. Korea's ICBM test, calls on Pyongyang to engage in dialogue

WASHINGTON -- The United States on Wednesday condemned North Korea's latest long-range ballistic missile test as a brazen violation of multiple United Nations Security Council resolutions, while calling on Pyongyang to engage in serious dialogue.

A spokesperson for the White House National Security Council (NSC) said the U.S. also calls on other countries to condemn North Korea's latest provocation.

------------

(LEAD) Nuke envoys of S. Korea, U.S., Japan strongly denounce N. Korea's ICBM test

SEOUL -- The top nuclear envoys of South Korea, the United States and Japan "strongly" condemned North Korea's latest launch of a long-range missile during their phone talks on Wednesday, Seoul's foreign ministry said.

Earlier in the day, North Korea fired an intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM) into the East Sea, according to the South's military, in its latest provocation after the recalcitrant regime warned of military action over U.S. spy aircraft operations earlier this week.

------------

(LEAD) U.S. general reaffirms 'upcoming' visit of nuclear ballistic missile submarine to S. Korea

SEOUL -- A senior U.S. military official in Seoul on Monday reaffirmed Washington's commitment to enhancing the "regular visibility" of powerful military assets in South Korea, pointing to the "upcoming visit" of a U.S. nuclear ballistic missile submarine.

Brig. Gen. John Weidner, chief of staff at the U.S. Forces Korea (USFK), made the remarks as the allies are striving to improve the credibility of America's "extended deterrence" commitment to using the full range of its military capabilities, including nuclear, to defend its ally amid growing North Korean threats.

(END)

(C) Yonhap News Agency. All Rights Reserved