BANGKOK: US Vice President Kamala Harris and leaders from South Korea, Japan, Australia, Canada and New Zealand held urgent talks on Friday on Pyongyang’s latest intercontinental ballistic missile test, and vowed to pressure it.
Hours after North Korea launched a missile that Japan termed as capable of striking the United States mainland, Kamala Harris held a meeting with US allies on the sidelines of an Asia-Pacific summit in Bangkok.
She stated at the start of the moot that the US and its allies strongly condemned the North Korean actions and are calling to stop unlawful and destablising acts. The countries represented here will continue to urge Pyeongyang to commit to serious and sustained diplomacy.
Kishida Warns of More Missile Launches from North Korea
Japanese prime minister Fumio Kishida, participating in the meeting, said that the North Korean missiles landed in its waters and it may launch more missiles.
South Korean Prime Minister Han Duck-soo condemned the new missile launch by North Korea and described it as a great provocation that violated the United Nations Security Council’s (UNSC) resolutions.
Earlier, US president Joe Biden met with Kishida his south Korean counterpart yoon Suk-yeol on the sidelines of a Southeast Asian summit in Cambodia on Sunday and discussed the North Korea.
The leaders, in a joint statement, warned the North Korea of the consequences of a nuclear test. However, Pyongyang denounced the meeting as a clear example of US hostility.
On Friday, they were joined by Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese in the campaign against Pyeongyang.
Australia Terms Missile Lunches as Dangerous for Its Security
The Australian Prime Minister said that the North’s ballistic missile launches were undermining their security.
While Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau also joined the allies in condemning the latest North Korean actions.
New Zealand’s Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern also seconded her allies in the condemnation of North Korea. — APP/AFP
