China, Russia should tell N. Korea to refrain from further provocation: State Dept.

By Byun Duk-kun

WASHINGTON, March 25 (Yonhap) -- All countries must send a strong message to North Korea to stop its military provocations, a state department spokesperson said Friday, as the U.N. Security Council was set to discuss the North's latest missile test.

Jalina Porter, principal deputy spokesperson for the department, also said countries that share a border with North Korea, such as China and Russia, should particularly be concerned about North Korea's behavior.

"There have been developments that should be of concern to all countries, particularly those who share border with the DPRK," Porter said in a telephonic press briefing, referring to North Korea's launch of an intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM) on Thursday (Seoul time).

"The DPRK's decision to return to ICBM tests is a clear escalation and China and Russia should send a strong message to its DPRK partners to refrain from additional provocations and also engage in sustained diplomacy," she added, referring to North Korea by its official name, the Democratic People's Republic of Korea.

The North's latest missile launch ended its self-imposed moratorium on long-range missile testing that had been in place since late 2017.

The remarks come as the U.N. Security Council (UNSC) was set to hold a rare open meeting later in the day in New York to discuss North Korea's recent missile launches.

However, U.S. efforts so far this year to have the UNSC impose additional sanctions on North Korea have failed, largely due to opposition from China and Russia, both veto power-wielding permanent members of the Security Council and close allies of the North.

"We urge all countries to hold the DPRK accountable for such violations and we also call on the DPRK to come to the table for serious negotiations," said Porter.

The department spokesperson also reiterated the door to diplomacy still remained open for North Korea.

"I would say that the door to diplomacy is not closed," she said. "And that the United States will take all necessary measures to ensure the security of the American homeland and the Republic of Korea and the Japanese allies.

bdk@yna.co.kr
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