All options on table against North Korea: US, allies
The United States, South Korea, and Japan have promised to consider all available options to counter what they deem as a threat by North Korea.
US Special Representative on North Korea Sung Kim, South Korea's special representative for Korean Peninsula peace and security affairs Kim Gunn, and Japanese Ministry of Foreign Affairs Director General for Asian and Oceanian Affairs Bureau Funakoshi Takehiro met on Tuesday at the US Embassy in Jakarta, Indonesia.
Speaking at the meeting, Gunn said that the behavior of Pyongyang presented "one of the most serious security challenges." He said, "North Korea is becoming more aggressive and blatant in its nuclear threat."
Gunn claimed that in order to counter the threat posed by North Korea, South Korea, Japan, and the United States will coordinate sanctions and close gaps in the harsh sanctions slapped against North Korea despite Chinese and Russian vetoes of a US-led bid to tighten them at the UN earlier this year.
The Japanese envoy said the three allied countries would examine all options, including counterstrike capabilities, and be more vigilant against North Korea's cyber threat.
"We will examine all options, including counterstrike capabilities," Funakoshi said, adding, "North Korea's further provocation will be met with a firm and united response from the international community."
The talks between the three, which follow earlier meetings in Tokyo and Seoul this year, were held at the US Embassy in Jakarta, where Kim also serves as the US ambassador to Indonesia.
The envoys' pledge comes after their nations slapped sanctions on North Korean officials and groups this month as punitive measures Pyongyang's recent missile tests.
Meanwhile, reports say Pyongyang is gearing up to conduct what would be the country's seventh nuclear test.
After overseeing the launch of the Hwasong-17 "monster" missile in November, North Korean leader Kim Jong-un declared he wanted North Korea to have the world's most powerful nuclear force.
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