Biden administration will host Japan and South Korea for North Korea discussions

• The tests do not mean diplomacy with Pyongyang is off the table, per officials.
• Calling this an "intensive period for Indo-Pacific diplomacy," the officials did not divulge any further details on the missile tests, like exactly how many missiles were tested. While acknowledging that such short-range systems are not covered by UNSC resolutions, the officials said they do not respond to every kind of test performed by North Korea.
• National Security adviser Jake Sullivan will host his counterparts from Japan and South Korea.

Details: Biden administration officials said that engaging North Korea did come up during the first bilateral high-level meeting between the U.S. and China in Anchorage last week.

• The U.S. will brief China on its approach to North Korea as it develops, but officials stressed that the priority is to first engage American allies.

What they’re saying: “We are under no illusions of the difficulty this task presents to us,” said one administration official. “We have a long history of disappointment in diplomacy with North Korea.”

• Recently, Kim Yo-jong, North Korean leader Kim Jong-un’s sister, issued a warning in her first statement to the Biden administration. "If it wants to sleep in peace for coming four years, it had better refrain from causing a stink at its first step,” she said.