ASEAN foreign ministers express 'grave concern' over N.K. ballistic missile

▲ North Korea fires a Hwasong-18 solid-fuel intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM) on July 12, 2023, in this photo released by the North's official Korean Central News Agency. North Korean leader Kim Jong-un guided the launch and the missile flew 1,001 kilometers for 4,491 seconds at a maximum altitude of 6,648 km before splashing into the East Sea, the North said. (For Use Only in the Republic of Korea. No Redistribution) (Yonhap)

ASEAN ministers-NK missile

ASEAN foreign ministers express 'grave concern' over N.K. ballistic missile

By Chang Dong-woo

JAKARTA, July 13 (Yonhap) -- The top diplomats of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) on Thursday expressed grave concern over North Korea's latest ballistic missile test launch carried out a day earlier.

In a joint statement, the ASEAN foreign ministers said they expressed "grave concern over the recent launch of the ballistic missile by the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK)," referring the North by its official name.

"We urged the DPRK to take action to deescalate tension and called for peaceful dialogue among concerned parties," the ministers said, while stressing the need for a conducive environment to realize lasting peace and stability on a denuclearized Korean Peninsula.

The statement came as ASEAN was carrying out a series of high-level regional talks this week involving countries in the region and key partners, including South Korea.

The ASEAN ministers also reiterated the importance of the international community's full compliance with all relevant United Nations Security Council resolutions related to North Korea.

Earlier in the day, Pyongyang announced that it test-fired a Hwasong-18 solid-fuel intercontinental ballistic missile Wednesday, with its leader Kim Jong-un vowing to take a "stronger" military offensive until the United States abandons its hostile policy against his country.

The North's official Korean Central News Agency reported that Kim himself guided the test launch.

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