Special Representative for the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea (DPRK) Ambassador Sung Kim’s Call with The People’s Republic of China (PRC) Special Representative on Korean Peninsula Affairs Ambassador Liu Xiaoming

Office of the Spokesperson

The following is attributable to Spokesperson Ned Price:

On March 10, Special Representative for the DPRK Sung Kim called PRC Special Representative on Korean Peninsula Affairs Liu Xiaoming to discuss the DPRK’s February 26 and March 4 ballistic missile launches, which the U.S. government has concluded were tests of a new DPRK intercontinental ballistic missile system.

Special Representative Kim strongly condemned the launches, which violated multiple UN Security Council resolutions and present a serious threat to international peace and security. He expressed concern that these launches demonstrate the DPRK’s determination to advance its unlawful weapons of mass destruction and ballistic missile programs and continue an increasingly escalatory path. Special Representative Kim emphasized that the PRC and United States share an interest in ensuring regional stability, and he called upon Beijing to join Washington in publicly condemning the DPRK’s missile launches. Special Representative Kim also encouraged the PRC to urge the DPRK to cease its destabilizing activity and return to dialogue. Special Representative Kim reiterated that the United States remains open to diplomacy with the DPRK to make progress toward our shared goal of the complete denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula.