PH denounces NoKor’s continuing ballistic missile launch

By Joyce Ann L. Rocamora, Philippine News Agency

In a statement Thursday, the Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) said such actions undermine the peace and stability not only in the Korean Peninsula but the broader Indo-Pacific region. (File Photo By Lawrence Ruiz, CC BY-SA 4.0)

MANILA – The Philippines denounced the continuing ballistic missile launches of North Korea following its latest test on Jan. 6, renewing its call to cease such activities.

In a statement Thursday, the Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) said such actions undermine the peace and stability not only in the Korean Peninsula but the broader Indo-Pacific region.

“The Philippines expresses serious concern and strongly denounces the continuing ballistic missile launches conducted by the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea (DPRK). Such provocative actions undermine economic progress, peace, and stability in the Korean Peninsula and the Indo-Pacific region,” it said.

“We renew our call on the DPRK to promptly cease these activities and abide by all international obligations, including relevant United Nations Security Council Resolutions, and to commit to peaceful and constructive dialogue,” it added.

North Korea fired an intermediate-range ballistic missile into the East Sea on Monday, marking its first reported ballistic missile test since it launched multiple short-range ballistic missiles on Nov. 5.

The suspected hypersonic ballistic missile had an estimated flight distance of 3,000 to 5,500 kilometers (1,864 to 3,418 miles), according to South Korea’s Joint Chiefs of Staff.