Published : Aug. 24, 2019 - 11:18
South Korea's top security officials voiced "strong concern" Saturday over North Korea's continued launch of projectiles despite the end of its combined military training with the United States.
They urged the North to halt such acts of escalating military tensions on the Korean Peninsula during an emergency session of the National Security Council standing committee, Cheong Wa Dae said.
Its members began the meeting at 8:30 a.m., presided over by Chung Eui-yong, chief of the presidential national security office, shortly after the North lobbed two unidentified projectiles into the East Sea.
Chung Eui-yong (Yonhap)
It marked the fifth round of the North's projectile launches this month alone.
The latest firing of "short-range projectiles" came even after the South Korean and U.S. militaries wrapped up their command-post drills, the NSC members noted. They include the defense, foreign and unification ministers, as well as the director of the National Intelligence Service.
They decided to analyze the specifics of the projectiles and other related details via close coordination between the allies' defense authorities, Cheong Wa Dae said.
It added they also agreed to step up diplomatic efforts, along with the international community, to lead North Korea to the negotiating table at an early date in order to achieve the goal of completely denuclearizing the peninsula, as agreed by the leaders of the U.S. and the two Koreas. (Yonhap)