North Korea must return to diplomatic engagement; US official

WASHINGTON/SEOUL: A senior US official has emphasized the need for North Korea to abide by UN Security Council resolutions and return to diplomatic engagement, the State Department said. In a statement on Thursday, the Department said that David Stilwell, Assistant Secretary of State for East Asian and Pacific affairs, raised the issue during a video conference with senior officials from member states of the East Asia Summit (EAS), the Seoul-based Yonhap News Agency reported. "Assistant Secretary Stilwell encouraged EAS countries to address pressing regional security challenges," it said.

"These include Beijing's imposition of draconian national security legislation in Hong Kong, which flouts (China's) commitments under the Sino-British Joint Declaration of 1984; the Rohingya crisis and escalating violence in Rakhine state; and North Korea, which must abide by U.N. Security Council Resolutions and return to diplomatic engagement." (IANS)

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