S. Korean, U.S., Japanese nuclear envoys warn of 'stern, unified' response in case of N.K. 'satellite' launch

SEOUL, May 29 (Yonhap) -- The top nuclear envoys of South Korea, the United States and Japan held a conference call Monday and agreed to cooperate to ensure North Korea will face a "stern, unified" international response if its "satellite" launch plan goes ahead, Seoul's foreign ministry said.

Seoul's chief nuclear negotiator, Kim Gunn, and his U.S. and Japanese counterparts, Sung Kim and Takehiro Funakoshi, had the talks after Pyongyang reportedly notified Tokyo of a plan to launch a satellite between May 31 and June 11.

The notification came after the North claimed to have completed preparations to place its first military reconnaissance satellite on a rocket, raising speculation that the launch could come as early as June.

"The chief envoys of the three countries strongly urged the North to refrain from an illicit launch that threatens regional peace, and agreed to closely cooperate to ensure that if the North presses ahead with the illicit launch, there will be a stern, unified response from the international community based on cooperation among the South, the U.S. and Japan," the ministry said in a press release.

The three also pointed out that any launch using ballistic missile technology is an illicit act that clearly contravenes multiple U.N. Security Council resolutions, and stressed that it "cannot be justified by any reason," according to the ministry.

sshluck@yna.co.kr
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