1. On July 29, Foreign Minister Kang Kyung-wha held an emergency telephone conversation with US Secretary of State Rex Tillerson, followed by another with Japanese Foreign Minister Fumio Kishida. Over the phone, the two sides shared with each other their respective assessments of the grave situation brought about by North Korea’s ballistic missile launch on July 28 and exchanged views on ways to respond firmly to the North Korean move, including through the UN Security Council’s measures.

2. The top diplomats of the Republic of Korea, the United States and Japan, considering the ballistic missile launched on July 28 more advanced than the one fired on July 4, shared deep concerns over the pace of the advancement in the North’s ballistic missile capability. Furthermore, the Ministers and the Secretary, calling such repeated ballistic missile provocations by North Korea not only a flagrant violation of the relevant UN Security Council resolutions but also a significant threat to peace and security on the Korean Peninsula and in the international community, strongly condemned the provocation.

° Minister Kang stated that pursuant to the instruction by the ROK President in the emergency meeting of the National Security Council earlier in the day, the ROK government will step up coordination in a bid to beef up the ROK-US combined defense posture and strategic deterrence against North Korea, and to make firm responses, including the adoption of a UN Security Council sanctions resolution.

3. In addition, Minister Kang pointed out that North Korea’s launch of the ballistic missile had come a little after the ROK government had proposed holding inter-Korean talks as part of measures to implement the “Berlin initiative,” which calls for holding reunions of families separated during the Korean War and easing tensions. In that respect, she described the provocation as a very disappointing and reckless move in disregard of expectations and wishes of the ROK government and the international community for humanitarian exchanges and eased tensions. She added that the ROK government will continue to urge with patience and perseverance the North to stop provocations and accept the ROK’s proposal.

4. The three sides agreed to coordinate more closely than ever with one another at meetings of their head delegates to the Six-Party Talks and through various other channels, in responding to reckless and continued provocations by North Korea. As part of such efforts, they agreed to continue consultations in various forms on the sidelines of the ASEAN Regional Forum (ARF) and other ASEAN-related foreign ministerial meetings scheduled to take place in the Philippines next week.


* unofficial translation