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South Korean and U.S. diplomatic authorities agreed to launch a working-level consultation body to focus on blocking the ongoing smuggling of refined oil by North Korea.
According to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, on the 21st, Lee Joon Il, director of the North Korean Nuclear Diplomacy Planning Team, spoke with Jung Pak, a senior U.S. official for North Korea, and said, “North Korea’s reckless provocations, hostile policies against the South, and other belligerent remarks are hindering peace and stability on the Korean Peninsula and in the region.”
Pak, the Senior Official, said, “The U.S. reaffirms its support for the Korean Peninsula through the joint statement of the U.S. and South Korean presidents last year.”
Both sides also expressed deep concern about the possibility of North Korea attempting to change the situation in the West Sea, agreeing to closely cooperate while keeping an eye on the possibility of additional provocations by North Korea. The Ministry of Foreign Affairs also delivered that the foreign ministers of both sides discussed measures to block North Korea’s illegal fundraising as part of implementing the consultation on the North Korea cooperation plan.
[yarpp]
They also agreed on the cooperation of South Korea and the U.S. and international cooperation methods against illegal military cooperation between North Korea and Russia, urging Russia to strictly follow the UN mandate as a permanent member of the UN Security Council.
Earlier, the North Korea Sanctions Committee under the UN Security Council mentioned on the 20th (local time) that North Korea had raised half of its total foreign currency income through hacking and cyber-attacks and used this fund to cover 40% of the development funds for nuclear weapons and other weapons of mass destruction (WMD). Although there were no additional nuclear tests, these experts evaluated that North Korea had developed additional nuclear weapons and produced nuclear fission materials, avoiding UN sanctions.
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