Top S. Korea, US, Japan diplomats strongly condemn NK missile launch

Published : Jul 29, 2017 - 13:56 Updated : Jul 30, 2017 - 10:10

The top diplomats of South Korea, the United States and Japan "strongly condemned" North Korea's launch of an intercontinental-range ballistic missile in emergency phone conversations Saturday, the foreign ministry said.

Foreign Minister Kang Kyung-wha had separate phone calls with Secretary of State Rex Tillerson and Foreign Minister Fumio Kishida earlier in the day to discuss their response to what appeared to be the launch of an intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM) shortly before midnight.

The ministers concluded that the latest launch marks "progress" from its previous ballistic missile launch on July 4, discussing ways to respond to it with powerful measures, including those by the United Nations Security Council, according to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

"They shared serious concerns over the sophistication of North Korea's ballistic missile capacity," the ministry said. "In addition, they strongly denounced North Korea's repeated ballistic missile provocations, which are a clear violation of UNSC resolutions and a grave threat to the peace and security of the Korean Peninsula and the world."

(Yonhap)

Kang told her counterparts, "Our government enforces South Korea-US joint defense posture and its deterrence strategy against North Korea while strengthening the cooperation (with them) by one notch for a resolute response, including a UNSC's resolution adoption," according to the ministry.

The South Korean minister also expressed "disappointment" over the missile launch, which came amid Seoul's efforts to quell tensions between the Koreas as seen in its offers for dialogue with the North. She explained to them that her government will continue to call on the North to take the dialogue offers with patience and persistence, the ministry also said.

Kang also agreed to more closely cooperate with Tillerson and Kishida through various channels, including the ASEAN Regional Forum set from Aug. 6-8 in Manila, the Philippines, where they all plan to attend, the ministry added.

North Korea announced the launch with fanfare hours later in the morning, claiming that the Hwasong-14 ICBM flew 998 kilometers for about 47 minutes into the East Sea after reaching a maximum altitude of 3,724.9 km.

It was the North's second ICBM launch this year following its successful launch on July 4. (Yonhap)