UNITED NATIONS, Jan 18 (NNN-Xinhua) — UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres calls for diplomatic talks between the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea (DPRK) and all parties concerned toward the denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula, said his spokesman.
The DPRK reportedly fired two short-range projectiles into eastern waters on Monday, the fourth launch in less than two weeks.
“There haven’t been that many periods, I think, in recent time where we have seen so many launches from the DPRK,” said Stephane Dujarric, Guterres’ spokesman. “And for us, it is just another reminder of the need for the DPRK and all the parties engaged to involve themselves, engage themselves in diplomatic talks so we can get what the United Nations would like to see, which is a very verifiable denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula and, in the more immediate term, a lowering of tensions.”
Asked whether Guterres should reach out to Pyongyang, the spokesman suggested the existing mechanisms be used.
“I think there are existing mechanisms and existing lines of communications. And I think, at this point, these should be used, and the secretary-general is very supportive of those diplomatic frameworks that already exist. But they need to be used,” said Dujarric.
South Korea’s Joint Chiefs of Staff said Monday that the South Korean military detected two projectiles, presumed to be short-range ballistic missiles, which were launched from the DPRK’s Sunan airfield in Pyongyang.
The DPRK’s Korean Central News Agency said last week that the country’s railway-borne missile regiment test-fired two tactical guided missiles on Friday. Pyongyang said it successfully test-launched a hypersonic missile on Jan 5 and a missile of the same kind on Jan 11. — NNN-XINHUA
