South Korea's President Yoon Suk-yeol speaks during an inaugural dinner at a hotel in Seoul on May 10, 2022. (JEON HEON-KYUN / POOL / AFP)

SEOUL – The Republic of Korea's president Yoon Suk-yeol said the United Nations Security Council should respond in a coordinated manner against the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea's missile provocations, the ROK's Newsis reported on Friday.

Yoon made the remarks in a telephone conversation with UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres during which he also called for close communication for assistance to the DPRK in fighting the COVID-19 pandemic, according to the report.

The DPRK has been battling its first confirmed outbreak of COVID-19 infections, declaring a state of emergency last month.

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In Washington, US Deputy Secretary of State Wendy Sherman met Kim-gunn, the ROK's Special Representative for Korean Peninsula Peace and Security Affairs, on Thursday and discussed ways to ensure a "strong, coordinated, international response" to the DPRK's "destabilizing activities," she said on Twitter.