Foreign ministry condemns N.Korea's missile provocations ahead of ARF

The foreign ministry denounced Wednesday North Korea's recent series of missile provocations at a virtual senior officials' meeting ahead of an annual multilateral forum involving Pyongyang slated for next month.

The ministry said it stated its position during the online preparatory meeting of senior government officials for the Association of Southeast Asian Nations Regional Forum, due to take place in Indonesia in July.

Deputy Foreign Minister Choi Young-sam and Lee Jang-keun, the ambassador to ASEAN, attended the virtual conference, the ministry said.

An Kwang-il, the North's ambassador to Indonesia, was present at the conference.

The ARF is a rare multilateral forum involving Pyongyang, and it brings together top diplomats of 27 countries, including the United States, China, Japan and the European Union.

During the virtual meeting, Seoul stressed the importance of the international community to send a clear and united message to the North that any missile provocations, including the so-called "test launch of a satellite," will not be accepted, the ministry said.

The ministry also asked each country to pay attention and work together to block the North from raising funds for nuclear and missile development to escalate the tensions, saying the North is abusing the South Korea-U.S. joint military exercise as an excuse for provocation.

At the conference, North Korea apparently repeated its position, blasting the hostile policy toward Pyongyang and justifying its right to use the space.

The participants also discussed current issues regarding the South China Sea and Russia's war on Ukraine, among others.

The meeting also touched on efforts to cooperate on the planned foreign ministers' meeting for the ARF, the ministry said.