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The leaders of the United States and Japan had a phone call last night and strongly condemned North Korea's recent ballistic missile launch.

The UN is due to convene a Security Council meeting soon.



This news is Correspondent Kim Jong-won from New York.



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US President Joe Biden and Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida had a phone conversation last night.



The White House said the two leaders in their call condemned North Korea's missile tests in the strongest terms.



[Karin Jean-Pierre/White House Spokesperson: I strongly condemn North Korea's dangerous and reckless decision to launch a ballistic missile over Japan.]



The White House refers to the recent joint ROK-US naval exercise in the West Sea, and a long-term response plan with South Korea “We will continue to coordinate,” he added.



While the US State Department condemns North Korea's missile launch, it once again stressed the importance of resolving the North Korean nuclear program through diplomacy and dialogue.



[Vedant Patel/Senior Spokesperson for the US State Department: Our position to solve the North Korean problem through diplomacy and dialogue has not changed.

We are ready to meet with North Korea unconditionally, but North Korea has not responded to such diplomatic efforts.]



The UN also issued a statement in the name of Secretary-General Antonio Guterres, condemning North Korea and calling for a return to dialogue.



[Stephane Dujarric / UN Secretary-General Spokesperson: We urge North Korea to resume dialogue with the concerned countries.]



Despite criticism from the international community, in a situation where there are concerns about North Korea's further provocations, the United States has requested the convening of an open meeting of the UN Security Council to discuss North Korean missiles.



However, since the permanent members of China and Russia are opposed to sanctions against North Korea, it seems unlikely that any special measures will be taken, such as additional sanctions, even if a meeting is convened.