S.KOR-U.S. TO TAKE ACTION AGAINST NORTH

[Anchor Lead]

Seoul and Washington have agreed to take a stern response against North Korea's recent ICBM launch and push for a new UNSC resolution.

[Pkg]

The chief nuclear envoys of South Korea and the U.S. are calling for stern measures against Pyongyang's recent ICBM firing. Seoul's Noh Kyu-duk and Washington's Sung Kim are pushing for a new UNSC resolution.

[Soundbite] Noh Kyu-duk(Special Rep. for Korean Peninsula Peace and Security Affairs) : “We agree that the UNSC should take strong measures against North Korea's ICBM launch conducted on March 24.”

The two are determined to take a strong response against the North's provocations, similar to the tough sanctions adopted by the UNSC in 2017. Kim made it clear that the issue can still be solved in a diplomatic way, adding it's up to Pyongyang to decide.

[Soundbite] Sung Kim(U.S. State Dept.'s Special Representative for DPRK Policy)

The U.S. State Department says Kim is soon to meet with his Chinese counterpart Liu Xiaoming, who is visiting the U.S., to discuss North Korea issues.

[Soundbite] Ned Price(U.S. State Department spokesperson)

U.S. Ambassador to the U.N. Linda Thomas-Greenfield had earlier met with Liu Xiaoming and urged him to persuade Pyongyang to return to the negotiating table. South Korea, the U.S. and China are deploying their diplomatic channels in full gear to counter North Korea's continuous provocations, which include not only an ICBM launch but also the signs of resuming nuclear tests.