South Korea's deputy nuclear envoy Lee Joon-il met his U.S. counterpart to discuss ways to counter North Korea's evolving military threats, including the North's plan to launch a military spy satellite, the foreign ministry said Wednesday.
The meeting between Lee, the ministry's director-general for North Korean nuclear affairs, and U.S. Deputy Special Representative for North Korea Jung Pak, came as Pyongyang has recently announced the completion of preparations to mount its first military spy satellite on a rocket.
During their meeting held in San Francisco the previous day (local time), the two sides agreed to step up cooperation in dealing with the North's provocations and take stern measures against the launch of the reconnaissance satellite.
They also assessed that the allies' decision to simultaneously slap unilateral sanctions on the North earlier this week demonstrated their "close coordination," the ministry said.
On Tuesday, Seoul imposed unilateral sanctions on three North Korean organizations and seven individuals in response to their illegal cyber activities aimed at financing the North's nuclear and missile development programs. The U.S. also slapped its own sanctions on four North Korean organizations and one individual.
Source: Yonhap News Agency