During a joint meeting of the foreign and defense ministers, the two countries vowed a united front and planned to boost cooperation in areas such as cyber-security.
“The ministers urged North Korea to cease its provocative behavior, live up to its obligations and commitments, and abide by the terms of the 1953 Armistice Agreement,” said a joint statement issued after the ministers’ one-day talks.
It comes after North Korea fired a rocket in April that the United States regarded as “thinly-veiled ballistic missile test,” banned by United Nations resolutions.
However, Pyongyang had said the rocket launch was aimed at putting a satellite into orbit for peaceful research objectives, marking the centenary of the birth of its founding leader Kim Il-Sung.
Meanwhile, the two sides also said that the “path for North Korea to rejoin the international community remains available if it refrains from provocations and complies with its international obligations and commitments.”
The UN Security Council imposed sanctions against Pyongyang after its first nuclear test in 2006 and step up sanctions after its second such test in 2009. The sanctions were tightened after recent rocket launch. The sanctions restrict exports of weapons or technology that could be used to develop ballistic missile programs.
However, the North has rejected the warnings, citing double standards and has vowed to bolster its nuclear deterrent.
It also accuses Washington of plotting with regional allies to topple the country’s government.
SAB/JR
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