South Korean Prime Minister Lee Nak-yon (Photo:wikipedia)

Lee listed North Korea’s 14 missile launches and its sixth nuclear test in the 4 months since the new administration of President Moon Jae-in began in May. South Korea will take strong countermeasures, he said, adding that Seoul will maximize its deterrence against the North to safeguard peace on the Korean Peninsula. Lee said that South Korea will do everything it can to bring about a peaceful resolution.

Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe on Wednesday called on the international community to fully implement the UN resolutions against North Korea. At the UN General Assembly meeting in New York, Abe said pressure, not dialogue, is the best option to denuclearize North Korea. German Chancellor Angela Merkel told reporters that only diplomatic and peaceful solutions are acceptable for the North Korea issue. French President Emmanuel Macron strongly opposed military action, saying that will lead to the Korean Peninsula’s destruction. China supports peaceful measures to resolves North Korea’s nuclear crisis, its foreign ministry said.