The below is attributable to Spokesperson Ned Price:
Secretary of State Antony J. Blinken spoke today with Republic of Korea (ROK) Foreign Minister Chung Eui-yong. Secretary Blinken condemned the DPRK’s March 24 ballistic missile launch as a clear violation of multiple UN Security Council resolutions. Secretary Blinken and Foreign Minister Chung discussed how the launch, which follows at least two ICBM tests earlier this year, demonstrates the threat the DPRK’s unlawful weapons of mass destruction and ballistic missile programs pose to the DPRK’s neighbors and the broader international community. Secretary Blinken reaffirmed the U.S.-ROK Alliance as the linchpin of peace, security, and prosperity in the Indo-Pacific and beyond, and committed to trilateral cooperation with the Republic of Korea and Japan towards the complete denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula. He said the United States’ commitment to the defense of the Republic of Korea and Japan remains ironclad.