US State Department Condemns North Korea's Ballistic Missile Launch as a Threat to the International Community

[Image source=Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy Reporter Hyunwoo Lee] The U.S. Department of State condemned North Korea's repeated launches of short-range ballistic missiles (SRBMs) and once again urged a return to dialogue. It reaffirmed defense commitments to allies such as South Korea and Japan and plans to continue pressure on North Korea through trilateral cooperation.

On the 8th (local time), the U.S. Department of State issued a statement through its spokesperson, saying, "The United States condemns North Korea's ballistic missile launches," and added, "In addition to North Korea's launches earlier this month, this launch violates multiple United Nations Security Council resolutions and poses a threat to North Korea's neighboring countries and the international community." The statement emphasized, "Our defense commitments to South Korea and Japan remain steadfast," and "We remain willing to pursue diplomatic engagement with North Korea and urge North Korea to participate in dialogue."

The U.S. Indo-Pacific Command also released a statement on the same day regarding North Korea's missile launches, stating, "We are aware of the two ballistic missile launches and are closely consulting with our allies and partner nations." It added, "These launches do not pose an immediate threat to the American people or territory," but criticized, "These launches demonstrate the instability caused by North Korea's illegal weapons of mass destruction (WMD) and ballistic missile programs."

Meanwhile, earlier, North Korea launched two short-range ballistic missiles (SRBMs) into the East Sea in the early morning of the 9th Korean time. As North Korea continues missile provocations this year and escalates the level of provocations, the possibility of a seventh nuclear test is also being raised.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.