MANILA, Philippines – The Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) expressed “serious concern” and “strongly denounced” the continuing ballistic missile launches conducted by the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea (DPRK).
In a statement released by the DFA on Thursday (Jan. 9), it mentioned that such actions can undermine the peace and stability in the Korean Peninsula and the Indo-Pacific region.
“Such provocative actions undermine economic progress, peace, and stability in the Korean Peninsula and the Indo-Pacific region,” the statement read.
The DFA called on the DPRK to halt the missile launches and abide by all international obligations.
“We renew our call on the DPRK to promptly cease these activities and abide by all international obligations, including relevant UN Security Council Resolutions, and to commit to peaceful and constructive dialogue,” the DFA statement added.
READ #DFAStatement: Statement on DPRK’s Ballistic Missile Launch on 06 January 2025
— DFA Philippines 🇵🇭 (@DFAPHL) January 9, 2025
Also found in this link 👉 https://t.co/PaPqCKGw01#DFAForgingAhead pic.twitter.com/3anKzoEBmi
Earlier, the United States, through the U.S. Indo-Pacific Command (USINDOPACOM) based in Hawaii, said that is it “aware” of the ballistic missile launch and is consulting with its regional allies and partners.
In a statement, the USINDOPACOM said that the United States condemn such actions and called out the DPRK to stop doing further “unlawful and destabilizing acts.”
“The United States condemns these actions and calls for the DPRK to refrain from further unlawful and destabilizing acts. We have assessed that this event does not pose an immediate threat to US personnel or territory, or to our allies,” the USINDOPACOM said in a statement.
“We will continue to monitor the situation. The U.S. commitment to the defense of the ROK and Japan remains ironclad,” it added.
U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken was also in Seoul, South Korea when North Korea carried out the missile test.
In a report from Reuters, Blinken told a news conference a few hours after the missile launch, that such actions “underscored the importance of collaboration between the U.S., South Korea and Japan, including on sharing real-time missile data and holding trilateral military exercises.”
"Today's launch is just a reminder to all of us of how important our collaborative work is," he said.
Meanwhile, South Korean Ambassador to the United Nations Hwang Joon-kook condemned North Korea’s latest launch “in the strongest possible terms”, mentioning that this followed over 50 ballistic missile launches last year alone, a report from the Korea Herald said.
Ambassador Hwang made the remarks during a UN Security Council Meeting, saying the missile launch “constitutes a clear threat to international peace and security,” the report mentioned.
"It is yet another flagrant violation of multiple Security Council resolutions, which explicitly decided that the DPRK should not conduct any launches that use ballistic missile technology," Hwang said.
