(LEAD) U.S., French leaders condemn N. Korea's missile tests: joint statement

▲ U.S. President Joe Biden (R) speaks during a joint press conference with French President Emmanuel Macron after the two leaders held a bilateral summit at the White House in Washington on Dec. 1, 2022, in this photo captured from the website of the White House. (PHOTO NOT FOR SALE) (Yonhap)

(LEAD) US-France-N Korea

(LEAD) U.S., French leaders condemn N. Korea's missile tests: joint statement

(ATTN: UPDATES with Biden's remarks on IRA in last 4 paras)

By Byun Duk-kun

WASHINGTON, Dec. 1 (Yonhap) -- U.S. President Joe Biden and French President Emmanuel Macron strongly condemned North Korea's recent ballistic missile tests on Thursday, calling them a threat to regional peace and stability.

The leaders also agreed to continue working together at the U.N. Security council to hold North Korea accountable, according to a joint statement issued following their bilateral summit here in Washington.

"Both leaders also strongly condemn the Democratic People's Republic of Korea's (DPRK) unprecedented number of unlawful ballistic missile tests this year that violate multiple UN Security Council resolutions and pose a threat to regional peace and stability, and are committed to continue coordination at the UN Security Council to address DPRK violations," said the released statement, referring to North Korea by its official name.

The joint condemnation follows a recent series of North Korean missile tests.

Pyongyang has fired 63 ballistic missiles this year, including more than 30 ballistic missiles launched since Sept. 25.

The United States sought to impose additional U.N. Security Council (UNSC) sanctions on North Korea for its missile provocations that included 10 intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM) tests, but all 10 UNSC meetings held this year on North Korea have been blocked by China and Russia, both veto-wielding permanent members of the UNSC.

During a post-summit joint press conference, Biden also hinted at the possibility of making "tweaks" to the Inflation Reduction Act (IRA), a controversial law that excludes electric vehicles assembled outside of North America from tax incentives.

"But there are occasions when you write a massive piece of legislation -- and that has almost $368 billion for the largest investment in climate change in all of history -- and so there's obviously going to be glitches in it and a need to reconcile changes in it," he said.

Biden stressed that the legislation "never intended to exclude folks" cooperating with the U.S. but said he makes "no apology" for the legislation.

The IRA act, signed into law in August, has sparked concerns that South Korean automakers could lose ground in the U.S. market.

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