US, Japan, South Korea utterly condemn North Korea's missile launches

US Deputy Secretary of State Wendy Sherman has held a trilateral call with South Korea First Vice Foreign Minister Cho Hyun-dong and Japanese Vice Foreign Minister Mori Takeo to discuss North Korea’s November 18 intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM) launch.

Sherman and vice ministers strongly condemned the unlawful ICBM launch for its destabilizing effect on the region and the world, noting that it was only the latest in a series of ballistic missile launches and use of aggressive rhetoric by North Korea that have escalated tensions, Caliber.Az reports, citing the US State Department’s official website.

The deputy secretary and Vice Ministers Cho and Mori reaffirmed the importance of trilateral cooperation among the US, South Korea, and Japan in responding to North Korea’s unlawful and increasingly dangerous behaviour.

The deputy secretary reaffirmed the ironclad US commitments to the defence of the South Korea and Japan and stressed the need for the international community to stand together in holding North Korea accountable for its continued and brazen violations of multiple UN Security Council resolutions.  She also called on North Korea to cease its unlawful and destabilizing behaviour and instead engage in sustained and sincere dialogue.

North Korea launched an intercontinental ballistic missile on November 18. It flew about 1,000 km along a steep trajectory at a maximum altitude of 6,000 km. The missile fell about 200 km west of the Japanese island of Hokkaido, within the exclusive economic zone of Japan.