Asked about the phone call between Lee Do-hoon, special representative for Korean Peninsula peace and security affairs, and his US counterpart, Special Representative for North Korea Stephen Biegun, a spokesperson for the State Department declined to comment on the details of private diplomatic conversations.

“We call on North Korea to avoid provocations, abide by obligations under UN Security Council Resolutions, and return to sustained and substantive negotiations to do its part to achieve complete denuclearization,” the spokesperson added.

The latest launch came as North Korea has pressured the US to come up with a solution to their stalled denuclearization negotiations before the end of the year.

The two sides last held working-level talks in Sweden in October, but failed to make any tangible progress on matching North Korea’s denuclearization steps with sanctions relief and other concessions from the US

North Korea is under multiple UN Security Council sanctions resolutions aimed at ridding the regime of its nuclear and ballistic missile programs. (Yonhap)