JAKARTA - North Korea's missile test is highly destabilizing and dangerous, while Pyongyang has yet to respond to Washington's diplomatic overtures, US Secretary of State Antony Blinken said Thursday.
The United States administration under President Joe Biden on Wednesday imposed its first sanctions on North Korea's weapons program, following a series of North Korean missile launches, including two tests in the past week.
He also wants the United Nations Security Council to impose more sanctions on Pyongyang, the US ambassador to the UN, Linda Thomas-Greenfield, said on Wednesday.
Meanwhile Foreign Minister Blinken said the United States had made clear it had no hostile intentions towards North Korea and was willing to engage in talks without preconditions.
"Unfortunately, not only has there been no response to the offer, but the response we have seen, has been renewed missile tests, something that is very destabilizing. This is dangerous and goes against all UN Security Council resolutions," Blinken told MSNBC, citing Reuters on January 14.
"I think some of it is North Korea trying to get attention. It's been done in the past. They will probably continue to do it," he said.
Foreign Minister Blinken added that the United States and its allies are focused on ensuring that they are protected and that there are impacts from North Korea's missile activities.
Separately, speaking to a Washington think-tank, an adviser to presidential candidates from South Korea's ruling party, spoke of the need for the United States and South Korea to send a clear and consistent message to North Korea to prevent what he called further 'provocations' by Pyongyang.
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Wi Sung-lac, South Korea's former deputy foreign minister and foreign policy adviser to presidential candidate Lee Jae-myung, told the Center for Strategic and International Studies North Korea's mistakes require an "honest" response.
He said Lee would take a holistic approach that would include talks and negotiations, sanctions and pressure, incentives, and disincentives.
To note, if there are no changes, South Korea is planning to hold elections on March 9.
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