South Korea convenes emergency security meeting after North Korea launches ballistic missile

On Saturday, the National Security Office of the South Korean presidency assembled an emergency security meeting to address a ballistic missile launched by North Korea, labeling the act a breach of United Nations Security Council resolutions and demanding an immediate stop. The South Korean armed forces reported that at least one missile was fired earlier that day, occurring a day after Kim Yo-jong, sister of Kim Jong-un, again refused blame for a recent mine explosion in the Demilitarized Zone and mocked Seoul’s call for tension reduction.

In parallel, senior diplomats from South Korea, the United States and Japan held a joint telephone conference to coordinate a response. The South Korean foreign ministry’s director general for Korean Peninsula policy, Baek Yong-jin, spoke with David Wilezol, deputy assistant secretary for Northeast Asia at the U.S. State Department, and Takashi Ariyoshi, a senior official of Japan’s foreign ministry. The discussions focused on possible joint actions to counter the provocative launch. The NSO reiterated its appeal for Pyongyang to cease such activities immediately.