S. Korea, U.S. hold talks on N. Korean provocations in Washington, D.C.

South Korea's deputy nuclear envoy Lee Joon-il has met with the top U.S. official for North Korea policy in Washington, D.C., to discuss countermeasures against North Korea's provocations, the foreign ministry said Tuesday. The meeting between Lee and Seth Bailey, deputy special representative for North Korea at the U.S. State Department, took place on Monday (local time), the ministry said in a release. The two sides condemned North Korea's recent balloon launches carrying trash and its attempts to jam GPS signals around South Korea's northwestern border islands, urging the reclusive regime to return to the dialogue table. The two officials also agreed to thoroughly prepare for all possible provocations by North Korea and to respond firmly based on the solid South Korea-U.S. alliance, the ministry said. They also expressed concerns over ongoing military and economic cooperation between North Korea and Russia, including weapons transactions and the supply of refined oil, in violation of U.N. Security Cou ncil resolutions. Bailey, who also serves as the director for the office of Korean and Mongolian affairs, is practically a top official overseeing North Korea policy at the State Department, after Jung Pak stepped down from her position on July 5. Source: Yonhap News Agency