The text of the following joint statement was released by the Governments of the United States, Japan, and the Republic of Korea.
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The United States, Republic of Korea, and Japan strongly condemn the launch of an intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM) by the DPRK on 12 July 2023. This constitutes a clear, flagrant violation of multiple UN Security Council resolutions and poses a grave threat to peace and stability on the Korean Peninsula and beyond. The DPRK’s launch of this ICBM threatened the safety of civil aviation and maritime traffic in the region.
We will work together with the UN and the international community to ensure that UN Security Council resolutions that impose sanctions against the DPRK are fully implemented. Furthermore, the three countries will continue to work closely with the international community to block the DPRK’s illicit revenue generation through overseas workers and malicious cyber activities that fund its unlawful WMD and ballistic missile programs.
The United States reiterated that its commitments to defend the ROK and Japan are ironclad and backed by the full range of capabilities, including nuclear. In addition, the three countries will further strengthen our trilateral security cooperation to effectively address the DPRK’s nuclear and missile threats including by sharing DPRK missile warning data in real-time and by conducting missile defense exercises, anti-submarine exercises, and maritime interdiction exercises.
The DPRK’s continued development of its nuclear and ballistic missile capabilities will only bolster the resolve of the three countries and the international community to achieve the complete denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula. We deplore the DPRK regime’s insistence on aggravating the suffering and human rights of the people in the DPRK by using its limited resources to fund its unlawful nuclear and ballistic missile programs.
The United States, ROK, and Japan urge the DPRK to cease its unlawful and escalatory actions and promptly return to dialogue.
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Official news published at https://www.state.gov/joint-statement-by-u-s-secretary-of-state-antony-j-blinken-japanese-minister-for-foreign-affairs-hayashi-yoshimasa-and-republic-of-korea-rok-minister-of-foreign-affairs-park-jin/
