Firmly, United States Asks North Korea To Stop Missile Tests

North Korea's SLBM missile test. (Source: KCNA)

JAKARTA - A senior US diplomat urged North Korea to refrain from missile tests, resuming nuclear diplomacy on Sunday, days after Pyongyang test-fired its first submarine-launched ballistic missile (SLBM) in two years.

Sung Yong Kim, the United States' envoy to North Korea, spoke after meeting with South Korean officials to discuss North Korea's recent missile tests while nuclear negotiations between Washington and Pyongyang remain stalled.

"We call on the DPRK to stop its provocations and other destabilizing activities, instead, engage in dialogue," Kim told reporters, using North Korea's official name, the Democratic People's Republic of Korea, citing the Associated Press Oct. 24.

"We remain ready to meet with the DPRK without preconditions and we have made clear that the United States has no hostile intentions towards the DPRK," Kim continued.

Last Tuesday, North Korea fired a newly developed ballistic missile from a submarine in its fifth round of weapons testing in recent weeks.

South Korean officials said the submarine-fired missile appeared to be in the early stages of development. It marked North Korea's first test underwater launch since October 2019, and the most notable since President Joe Biden took office in January.

North Korea's SLBM missile test. (Source: KCNA)

Missiles fired from submarines are more difficult to detect beforehand and would give North Korea a secondary retaliatory strike capability.

Tuesday's launch violated several United Nations Security Council resolutions, which prohibit any activity by North Korea in the field of ballistic missiles. Kim said the test posed a threat to the international community, was worrying and counterproductive to efforts to promote peace on the Korean Peninsula.

Meanwhile, South Korea's Noh Kyu-duk said in-depth discussions he had with Kim discussed Seoul's push for a symbolic declaration of ending the 1950-1953 Korean War, as a way to bring peace.

Noh said he and Kim also reiterated that issues of concern to North Korea can be discussed once talks resume.

To note, US-led talks to end North Korea's nuclear program have largely stalled since early 2019, when a summit between President Donald Trump and North Korean leader Kim Jong-un collapsed over a dispute over sanctions imposed by Washington.

President Joe Biden's administration has repeatedly said it is ready to meet North Korea "anywhere and at any time" without preconditions. But North Korea says a return to talks depends on the US dropping what it calls a hostile policy, an apparent reference to sanctions and regular military exercises between Washington and Seoul.

Prior to the submarine missile launch, North Korea had also tested several other new weapons systems over a six-week period, including long-range cruise missiles and hypersonic missiles currently under development.

Those weapons could potentially put Washington's allies South Korea and Japan within striking range. Some experts say North Korea may also in the coming weeks test missiles that could reach the United States, to maximize its pressure campaign against the United States.