North Korea ignores US efforts to resume talks, answers with more missile tests: Blinken
Jan 13, 2022
Washington [US], January 13 (ANI/Sputnik): North Korea has ignored the Biden administration's initial calls to resume denuclearization talks and instead responded with more ballistic missile tests, US Secretary of State Antony Blinken said on Thursday.
"We made clear that we were prepared to engage the North Koreans to sit down with no preconditions to see if we could find a way forward with them at the table, toward the total denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula," Blinken said in an interview with MSNBC. "Unfortunately, not only has there been no response to those overtures, but the response we've seen ... in recent weeks has been renewed missile test."
Blinken emphasized that North Korea's latest missile launches are profoundly destabilizing, dangerous and they contravene many UN Security Council resolutions.
North Korea is expected to continue its behavior as a means to gain international attention, but there will be consequences for its actions, Blinken said.
The United States intends to impose new sanctions on North Koreans linked to Pyongyang's missile program, and it will work with South Korea and Japan to craft a response, Blinken added.
US Ambassador to the United Nations Linda Thomas-Greenfield said late on Wednesday that the United States is proposing the United Nations impose new sanctions on North Korea for six missile launches conducted by Pyongyang since September 21.
On January 5 and January 11. North Korea conducted two missile tests it has claimed were hypersonic. (ANI/Sputnik)
