Vice President Kamala Harris on Friday slammed North Korea’s latest missile launch as a “brazen violation” of U.N. resolutions during a meeting with Indo-Pacific leaders in Thailand.
Pyongyang tested an intercontinental ballistic missile that landed near Japanese waters while Ms. Harris meets with leaders in Asia. It was North Korea’s second test this month of a long-range missile that could theoretically reach U.S. soil.
Ms. Harris issued her condemnation with fellow Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) leaders in Bangkok.
“The leaders reaffirmed that a DPRK nuclear test would be met with a strong and resolute response from the international community,” the White House said in a readout of her remarks that uses a formal name for North Korea. “They reiterated that the path to dialogue remains open for the DPRK, and they called on the DPRK to abandon needless provocation and to return to serious and sustained diplomacy.”
North Korean dictator Kim Jong-un has launched a flurry of missile tests of late, possibly to flex his muscle and seek negotiations that will lead to sanctions relief.
President Biden recently told Chinese President Xi Jinping that Beijing has an obligation to push back on Mr. Kim’s aggression in the region.
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Mr. Biden said continued missile tests would lead to a beefed-up U.S. presence in East Asia in coordination with South Korea and other allies.
