Leaders of U.S.,Japan reaffirm commitment to complete denuclearization of Korea

By Byun Duk-kun

WASHINGTON, Jan. 21 (Yonhap) -- U.S. President Joe Biden and Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida reaffirmed their commitment to the complete denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula on Friday.

The leaders also condemned North Korea's recent ballistic missile launches in their virtual bilateral summit, according to the White House.

"The two leaders condemned the recent ballistic missile launches by the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK), which are in violation of United Nations Security Council resolutions," the White House said of the U.S.-Japan summit in a press release, referring to North Korea by its official name.

The North conducted four rounds of missile launches since the start of this year, including the test firing of what Pyongyang claims to be a new hypersonic missile in two of those four launches.

"Toward the complete denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula, both leaders committed to maintain close coordination on DPRK issues moving forward, in lockstep with the Republic of Korea (ROK)," the press release said.

The Biden-Kishida summit marked the first of its kind since the Japanese leader took office in October.

bdk@yna.co.kr
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