South Korea, US envoys to meet after North Korea’s latest missile test

Seoul’s top nuclear envoy Noh Kyu-duk spoke on the phone with the US special representative Sung Kim, and agreed to meet him in Jakarta on Thursday

This came after North Korea fired a ballistic missile into the sea, giving mixed signals over its recent statements about improving inter-Korean relations

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People watch the news at a station in Seoul after it was reported that North Korea had fired a ballistic missile into the Sea of Japan on September 28. Photo: EPA-EFE

Published: 9:15pm, 28 Sep 2021Updated: 10:48pm, 28 Sep 2021

South Korea’s top nuclear envoy, Noh Kyu-duk, and US special representative for North Korea Sung Kim on Tuesday spoke on the phone and arranged to meet in person on Thursday to discuss ways to cooperate in dealing with the nuclear-armed North, the foreign ministry said.

Noh and Kim decided to meet in person in Indonesia on Thursday for further discussions. Kim currently doubles as the US ambassador to Jakarta.

This came hours after North Korea fired what is believed to be a short-range ballistic missile from the northern province of Jagang into the Sea of Japan or East Sea, a move widely seen by analysts as testing Seoul’s reaction.

Tuesday’s launch came days after Kim Yo-jong, the powerful sister of North Korean leader Kim Jong-un, said Pyongyang was willing to improve inter-Korean relations and even discuss a summit with Seoul.

She added, however, that this can only happen when the South drops its hostile attitude against the regime and the double standards of calling the North’s weapons tests “provocations” while conducting its own such tests.

South Korea’s foreign ministry said the two envoys discussed the “recent statements” as well as the missile launch and ways to respond.