U.S. and Australian officials have called on North Korea to commit to dialogue to achieve complete denuclearization of the Korean peninsula and to address the human rights situation in the Asian country as soon as possible.
The heads of diplomacy of both countries have expressed concern over the history of violations and have pointed out that North Korea’s ballistic and nuclear program is «illegal».
Thus, they have indicated in a joint communiqué that they «share the common commitment that diplomacy is essential for denuclearization and the establishment of peace on the peninsula» and have called for an end to «destabilizing issues».
North Korea has launched a record 63 ballistic missiles over the course of this year, more than doubling the launches made in 2021. In addition, the U.S. government has warned that Pyongyang is preparing to carry out its seventh nuclear test — the previous one was carried out in 2017.
In addition, they have stressed the importance of «fully» implementing sanctions against North Korea. «We are coordinating bilaterally and multilaterally to implement the UN Security Council sanctions,» the text reads.
The United States last week designated South Korea as a «State that violates religious freedom», a measure it has been taking for more than two decades due to the Human Rights situation in North Korean territory.