| July
1 | - Regarding the briefing and
debate forum cohosted by the ROK, the U.S., and Japanese
missions to the UN, North Korea denounces the UNSC sanctions
resolutions on the North as unfair, illegitimate, and
immoral (in a Q&A session with KCNA reporters by a
spokesperson for the Ministry of Foreign Affairs).
|
| July 4 | - The ROK President emphasizes that North
Korea should realize that seeking regime stability through
nuclear weapons and missiles will rather bring about tougher
sanctions, thus leading to regime instability (in a Cabinet
meeting).
|
| July 6 | - North Korea unilaterally releases water
from the Hwanggang Dam.
|
| July
6 | - The ROK government
emphatically states that if the North is to improve
inter-Korean relations, it should be willing to cooperate on
small issues including a water release from the Hwanggang
Dam (in a regular briefing by a spokesperson for the
Ministry of Unification).
|
| July 6 | - North Korea
states that it will “never accept” the argument from the ROK
and the U.S. that the North should “give up its nuclear
program,” and presents the conditions for “denuclearization
of the Korean Peninsula” (in a statement by a spokesperson
for the DPRK government).
|
| July 7 | - The ROK
government welcomes the imposition of human rights sanctions
by the U.S. on North Korea (July 6) (in a commentary by a
spokesperson for the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in response
to the announced U.S. sanctions on North Korean leaders for
human rights violations).
|
| July 7 | - UN Secretary
General Ban Ki-moon calls on North Korea to desist from
further provocations and emphasizes that involved countries,
including the ROK, the U.S., and China, should encourage the
resumption of dialogue (in a press conference with Chinese
Foreign Minister Wang Yi).
|
| July 7 | - Regarding the
U.S.’s announcement that Kim Jong Un is one of those subject
to sanctions for human rights abuses (July 6), North Korea
demands an unconditional retraction, and if the U.S.
refuses, the North will block off all diplomatic channels
between Pyongyang and Washington and respond in
ultra-hardline ways (in a statement by a spokesperson for
the Ministry of Foreign Affairs).
|
| July 8 | - Regarding the
statement by a spokesperson for the North Korean Ministry of
Foreign Affairs (July 7), the ROK government emphasizes that
even if the North reacts, the South cannot stop trying to
prevent the North Korean authorities’ human rights
violations and to improve the human rights situation in the
North (in a regular briefing by a spokesperson for the
Ministry of Unification).
|
| July 9 | - North Korea fires
a submarine-launched ballistic missile (SLBM) from waters
off the coastal port city of Sinpo, South Hamgyong
Province.
|
| July 9 | - Regarding North Korea’s SLBM test
launch, the ROK government strongly condemns the North and
emphasizes that it will impose tougher sanctions and
continue to apply pressure on the North (in a commentary by
a spokesperson for the Ministry of Foreign Affairs).
|
| July 9 | - The ROK military declares the North’s
SLBM launch to be a provocative act and a violation of UNSC
resolutions and strongly denounces the North (in a press
release by the Joint Chiefs of Staff).
|
| July 9 | - North
Korea organizes the North Side Preparatory Committee for the
Joint Conference for holding a great national conference and
carries out the project (in a press release by the North
Side Preparatory Committee for the Joint Conference of
Political Parties, Organizations, and Individual Personages
of the North and the South and Abroad for Peace and
Independent Reunification of the Korean Peninsula).
|
| July 10 | - North Korea denounces the remarks on the
North by the ROK President and the Prime Minister (July 4)
as “political provocations” and instigates an
anti-government campaign (in a Q&A session with KCNA
reporters by a spokesperson for the Committee for the
Peaceful Reunification of the Country of the DPRK (CPRC,
formerly known as CPRF)).
|
| July 11 | - The ROK
President explains that the deployment of THAAD is an
inevitable decision to protect the rights to live in
response to the evolving nuclear and missile threats posed
by the North and emphasizes that THAAD will not infringe
upon the security interests of neighboring countries (in a
chief secretary meeting).
|
| July 11 | - North Korea
threatens the ROK and the U.S. regarding the deployment of
THAAD (in a warning by the Artillery Division of the General
Staff Department of the KPA).
|
| July 13 | - The ROK
President asks Switzerland to continue to cooperate with the
international community’s efforts to break the North’s
determination to perpetrate provocations and develop nuclear
weapons (in a summit meeting between the heads of state of
the ROK and Switzerland).
|
| July 13 | - The ROK and the
U.S. announce the region where THAAD will be deployed.
|
| July 14 | - The ROK President checks follow-up
measures after making a decision on the deployment of THAAD
(in a National Security Council meeting).
|
| July 14 | - Seoul,
Washington, and Tokyo agree to further strengthen their
coordination regarding the North Korean nuclear issue and
sanctions on the North, and strive to implement UNSC
Resolution 2270 continuously and faithfully (in a vice
foreign ministerial meeting among the ROK, the U.S., and
Japan).
|
| July 14 | - North Korea criticizes the ROK President
by name regarding the deployment of THAAD on the Korean
Peninsula (in a statement by a spokesperson for the
CPRC).
|
| July 14 | - Regarding the United Nations Command’s
decision to allow and deploy heavy weapons in the DMZ, a
spokesman for the Panmunjom Mission of the KPA calls for the
“withdrawal of heavy weapons from the DMZ and the immediate
cessation of all military provocations” (in a Q&A
session with reporters from the army newspaper KPA).
|
| July 15 | - Regarding the statement by a
spokesperson for the CPRC (July 14), the ROK government
strongly condemns the North’s slandering of the ROK
President, which was intended to create social conflict (in
the ROK government position on the statement by a
spokesperson for the CPRC released by the Ministry of
Unification).
|
| July 15 |
- Seoul and Washington share the
assessment of the situation on the Korean Peninsula and
discuss diplomacy regarding the North Korean nuclear issue
for the second half of the year (in a meeting between chief
delegates to the Six-Party Talks from the ROK and the
U.S.).
|
| July 16 | - The ROK President emphasizes that the
fundamental solution to the North Korean human rights and
nuclear issues lies in unification of the Korean Peninsula,
asking for the support and cooperation of heads of state
from countries around the world (during a free debate
session at the ASEM summit).
|
| July 16 | - The ASEM summit
adopts its chair’s statement condemning North Korea’s
nuclear and missile development.
|
| July 17 | - The ROK and
Mongolia agree to make efforts together for regional
stability on the Korean Peninsula based on a definite stance
on denuclearization of North Korea (in a summit meeting
between heads of state of the ROK and Mongolia).
|
| July 19 |
- North Korea fires three short-range ballistic missiles
from Hwangju, North Hwanghae Province, into the East
Sea.
|
| July 19 | - The ROK military denounces the North’s
ballistic missile launch (July 19) as a provocation that
poses a serious threat to the security of South Korea and
its people, and strongly condemns the North’s rash,
repeated, and reckless provocations (in a regular briefing
by the Ministry of National Defense).
|
| July 19 | - North Korea
calls on the South to “join the efforts to hold a great
national conference for reunification” (in a press release
by the North Side Preparatory Committee for the Joint
Conference of Political Parties, Organizations, and
Individual Personages of the North and the South and Abroad
for Peace and Independent Reunification of the Korean
Peninsula).
|
| July 21 |
- The ROK President examines the
security situation regarding the North’s ballistic missile
launch (in a National Security Council meeting).
|
| July 21 |
- North Korea harshly criticizes the ROK President’s
official visit to Mongolia and instigates a “campaign
against the visit” (in a statement by a spokesperson for the
CPRC).
|
| July 22 | - Regarding the statement by a
spokesperson for the CPRC (July 21), the ROK government
strongly condemns the North’s criticism toward the ROK
President (the government position on the statement by a
spokesperson for the CPRC released in a regular briefing by
a spokesperson for the Ministry of Unification).
|
| July 22 |
- The ROK military collects dozens of plastic bags
containing propaganda leaflets targeting the South (in Han
River near Gimpo).
|
| July
23 | - The Unification Minister
emphasizes that ensuring that North Korean defectors settle
in Korean society and make a fair living is preparation work
for unification (in a talk session with young North Korean
defectors during his visit to Jang Dae-hyun School in
Busan)
|
| July 25 | - Seoul and Washington discuss cooperation
to put pressure on North Korea and discourage the North from
perpetrating further provocations (in a meeting between the
ROK Foreign Minister and the U.S. Secretary of State).
|
| July 25 | - The North argues that the South’s
build-up of naval forces to crack down on illegal fishing by
Chinese ships in the West Sea is intended to “cause military
conflicts and adhere to the illegal Northern Limit Line
(NLL)” and threatens that it “will fight against any
military actions” (in a press release by the West Sea Fleet
of the Navy of the KPA).
|
| July 26 | - The Unification
Minister emphasizes that the ROK government will maintain
its current North Korean policy of leading the North to
denuclearization through sanctions and pressure (in a press
conference).
|
| July 27 |
- The ASEAN Regional Forum announces
its chairman’s statement expressing concerns about the
recent developments on the Korean Peninsula including North
Korea’s violation of UNSC resolutions.
|
| July 27 | - Seoul and
Washington agree on the need to take effective measures to
cut off cash flows into North Korea (in the third meeting of
the ROK-U.S. high-level strategic consultation on July
26-29).
|
