Group of Seven condemns North Korea’s launch of a ballistic missile
The foreign ministers of the Group of Seven major countries, in a joint statement, today, Thursday, condemned North Korea’s launch of another intercontinental ballistic missile.
The statement, published by the British government, said: “We condemn in the strongest terms the blatant launch by North Korea of another ICBM on 12 July.”
The statement added: “These launches represent very serious threats to regional and international peace and stability and violate the global order to limit the spread of arms.”
The South Korean news agency, Yonhap, quoted North Korean government media as saying, on Wednesday, that North Korea had tested an intercontinental ballistic missile, the Hwasong-18.
It added that North Korean leader Kim Jong Un oversaw the launch.
And the Joint Chiefs of Staff of the South Korean army revealed earlier, Wednesday, that its northern neighbor had launched an unspecified ballistic missile towards the East Sea, pointing out that it was launched at an oblique angle and flew 1,000 km.
The South Korean president vowed that Pyongyang would pay for its actions, which he described as illegal. For his part, the Japanese border guards confirmed the fall of the ballistic missile launched by North Korea.
The Seoul government said that North Korea’s launch of a ballistic missile is a serious provocation and a violation of international resolutions, adding that Tokyo lodged a strong protest against the North Korean experience through diplomatic channels in China.
These developments came at a time when relations between the two Koreas deteriorated to their lowest levels with the cessation of dialogue and the declaration of North Korean leader Kim Jong-un that his country is an irreversible nuclear state, calling on his army leaders to promote the development of the military arsenal, especially tactical nuclear weapons.
Seoul and Washington vowed that Pyongyang would face a nuclear response and end the current government in North Korea if it used its nuclear weapons.
