PH blasts ‘reckless’ North Korea missile test

MANILA – The Philippine government, through the Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA), condemned on Saturday North Korea’s intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM) test last week.

In a statement, the DFA described the move as a “reckless and provocative action” that undermines peace and stability in the Korean Peninsula, the entire region, and the world.

“We reiterate our call on the DPRK (Democratic People’s Republic of Korea) to comply with its international obligation under relevant UN (United Nations) Security Council resolutions, and commit to the process of constructive and peaceful dialogue,” it said.

Pyongyang claimed that it “successfully” launched a new type of ICBM called the Hwasong-17 last March 24 from Sunan in Pyongyang City– the country’s first long-range test since 2017.

Citing state-owned Korean Central News Agency (KCNA), the United Nation said it covered 1,090 kilometers and reached a height of around 6,200 km., making an impact on the sea within Japan’s exclusive economic zone.

South Korea’s military, however, said Pyongyang might have faked the test, and that it likely launched a modified version of Hwasong-15 that it fired in 2017.

“Although the projectile fired on March 24 looks like the Hwasong-17 due to the increase in its top altitude and flight time, our assessment is that it is more similar to the Hwasong-15 than the Hwasong-17,” Seoul-based Yonhap quoted the Korean Ministry of National Defense as saying on March 29.

Last week, UN Secretary-General António Guterres strongly condemned the launch, describing it as yet another “breach” of the country’s own 2018 moratorium on ballistic missile tests, and “a clear violation” of relevant Security Council resolutions.

He said the launch of the long-range missile risks a significant escalation of tensions in the Korean Peninsula and urged North Korea to desist from taking “any further counter-productive actions”.