South Korea, US hold talks amid North Korean escalation

South Korea’s Foreign Minister Yun Byung-se on Friday held talks with his U.S. counterpart John Kerry, during which they reviewed the recent escalation in North Korea. Yun urged the North Korea to agree to South Korea’s dialogue invitation, adding that he is holding phone contacts with neighboring countries, including China, Japan and Russia in order to discuss means of addressing any provocative actions by Pyongyang. The South Korea minister warned that Pyongyang will face additional sanctions if it takes other escalating measures. He said that South Korea and the U.S. agreed to start talks on a nuclear energy agreement in the near future. Kerry started a visit to Seoul today earlier as part of a regional tour that also includes China and Japan.