ROK-U.S. NATIONAL SECURITY CHIEFS SPEAK

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For the first time since the Yoon administration took office, the national security chiefs of S. Korea and the U.S. spoke on the phone to discuss cooperation on N. Korea issues. Washington condemned Pyongyang's missile provocations and said it has no plans to provide COVID-19 vaccines to the North, which has been hit by a COVID outbreak recently. However, the U.S. government has pledged efforts to send humanitarian aid to the hermit state.

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National Security Advisor Kim Sung-han, who was appointed just three days ago, and U.S. National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan have spoken on the phone for the first time. The White House said the two discussed President Joe Biden's upcoming visit to South Korea on May 20. It quoted Sullivan as saying that the visit will serve as an opportunity to further underscore the ROK-U.S. alliance through a meeting between the leaders of the two nations. The two condemned North Korea's ballistic missile launches as violations of UNSC resolutions, and promised to work together to respond to Pyongyang's threat and achieve progress in the denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula. The two wanted to stress bilateral collaboration on North Korea's military acts coming just three days after the Yoon administration's inauguration. Washington reiterated its stance that although Pyongyang's Thursday firing of short-range missiles does not pose immediate threat, it does show the impact of its illegal weapons development on destabilizing security. Washington condemned Pyongyang's missile firing and urged them to return to the negotiating table. Regarding North Korea's first reported case of COVID-19, the U.S. said it has no plans to provide vaccines to the North at this point, but it pledged international efforts to provide humanitarian aid. Earlier, Unification Minister Kwon Young-se said Seoul was willing to help the North if they needed vaccines or other form of aid. In other words, Seoul and Washington are on the same page when it comes to humanitarian aid to North Korea, viewed separately from its provocations.