Secretary of State John Kerry warned North Korea that the United States is weighing additional sanctions to combat the country’s “blatant disregard for international law,” during a speech Monday in South Korea.
“This is an individual who has said no to every effort to reach out and find a reasonable way forward,” Kerry said about North Korean leader Kim Jong Un.
{mosads}“We are indeed talking about ways to increase the pressure and increase the potential of either sanctions or other means of making it clear to him that he is on a very dangerous course in the missile systems and pursuit, continued pursuit of his nuclear weapons program.”
North Korea continues to face international sanctions for its nuclear pursuits, as well as American sanctions used as retribution for the hack on Sony Entertainment. Kerry said that, while the United States is open to improving relations with the nation if it rolls back its nuclear program, North Korea “has not even come close to meeting that standard.”
The secretary of State spoke alongside his South Korean counterpart, Yun Byung-se, underscoring the partnership between the two countries against North Korea as “ironclad” and chastising Pyongyang for “denying its own people the protection of fundamental freedoms and human right.”
The statements come after reports that the North Korean leader recently killed his defense minister with an anti-aircraft gun in a public execution.
The country also reportedly fired a test ballistic missile from a submarine earlier this month, which Kim referred to as a “time bomb which will go off on the backs of our hostile enemies at any time,” according to CNN’s review of a state news agency.