President Moon Jae-in and German Chancellor Angela Merkel spoke by telephone from 9:45 to 10:05 this evening. Their discussion over the phone focused on how to respond to North Korea’s sixth nuclear test.

Saying that she heard the shocking news that the North had conducted another nuclear test, Chancellor Merkel asked President Moon how he assessed the current situation. She also said she had hoped to have a telephone conversation with the President to express solidarity and support from Germany and the European Union in response to the developments.

President Moon pointed out that North Korea pushed ahead with its nuclear test despite strong and unified international warnings and that it posed a serious challenge to the peace and safety of the international community in violation of United Nations Security Council resolutions. He continued to note that the test was a grave provocation that was entirely different and unprecedented in scale and nature.

President Moon explained that even though the Korean Government has so far exercised patience in urging the North to stop and abandon its nuclear and missile programs, now was high time to come up with strong and practical countermeasures that could be keenly felt by the North. In this connection, the President made clear his intentions not to overlook any additional provocation by the North while taking punitive measures through maximum sanctions and pressure in cooperation with the international community.

Speaking of his Administration`s plan to seek the adoption of an additional, stronger U.N. Security Council sanctions resolution through coordination with the international community, President Moon requested that Germany play a continued and even enhanced role as a key nation in the European Union. In response, Chancellor Merkel expressed her willingness to fully cooperate.

The two leaders also shared a common understanding that the application of maximum sanctions and pressure by the international community in unison was to encourage the North to return to the negotiating table on its own and that, despite difficult circumstances, the basic principle of peacefully resolving the North Korean nuclear and missile issue should be clearly adhered to.

The two leaders concurred on the need to continue close communications at various levels in the days to come.