Moving on to the international community's efforts to counter the ongoing threat posed by North Korea.
A UN sanctions committee has been mulling over ways to punish Pyongyang for its recent ballistic missile launches that destabilized the region.
This... as the defense chiefs of South Korea and the United States picked up the phone to coordinate their North Korea policies.
Shin Se-min has the details. A clear violation of UN resolutions.
That was the conclusion that the UN's North Korea sanctions committee came to during an emergency meeting on Thursday local time.
The meeting was the first since Pyongyang launched two mid-range ballistic missiles late last month, and UN sources say the panel agreed to come up with countermeasures to deal with the threat.
As for when, the sources say the committee will wait until May to hold further talks, after a report from a North Korean specialist is finalized.
To no one's surprise, South Korea, the U.S., Britain and France supported the statement,... while China and Russia were more cautious, saying the wider issue of securing peace and stability on the Korean peninsula was the most pressing concern.
A day before the committee meeting, South Korean Defense Minister Kim Kwan-jin received a phone call from his U.S. counterpart Chuck Hagel, with both agreeing to work hand-in-hand to counter threats posed by Pyongyang.
During their 20-minute phone conversation, the two agreed that Pyongyang's missile and nuclear weapons pose a grave challenge to the Korean peninsula and international community.
Hagel also informed Kim of Washington's plans to dispatch two additional Aegis-equipped destroyers to Japan by 2017 to counter the North Korea threat.
Also on Thursday, a former U.S. nonproliferation official said the international community should step up its efforts for "targeted sanctions" on the North Korean leadership.
Speaking at a forum hosted by the 38 North website, Joseph DeThomas said it was important to find mechanisms that go after the North Korean regime and not its people.
Shin Se-min, Arirang News.
