S.Korea, U.S., Japan lambaste N.Korea missile tests, urge return to talks By Reuters

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© Reuters. FILE PHOTO: A man walks past a TV broadcasting a news report on North Korea’s launch of three missiles including one thought to be an intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM), in Seoul, South Korea, May 25, 2022. REUTERS/Kim Hong-Ji

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SEOUL (Reuters) – North Korea’s recent missile tests were “serious, unlawful” provocations, senior officials from South Korea, the United States and Japan said on Wednesday, urging Pyongyang to return to dialogue and accept offers of COVID-19 aid.

South Korea vice foreign minister Cho Hyun-dong, U.S. Deputy Secretary of State Wendy Sherman and Japanese Vice Foreign Minister Takeo Mori made the comment as they gathered in Seoul three days after North Korea conducted a fresh missile test.

The three-way meeting of the countries’ No. 2 diplomats, the first such gathering since November, highlighted the urgency and gravity of North Korea’s intensifying weapons tests.

Seoul and Washington officials have said North Korea is ready for what would be its first nuclear test since 2017, which Sherman has said would trigger a strong and clear response.