Following various missile launches from North Korea, G7 foreign ministers gave a statement to reassure the public North Korea will never attain the status of a nuclear-weapon state.
The G7 ministers of Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, the United Kingdom, the U.S. and the High Representative of the European Union said they condemn "in the strongest terms" the March 16 launch of another intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM) by North Korea, according to a March 19 news release.
"North Korea cannot and will never have the status of a nuclear-weapon state in accordance with the Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons," the G7 ministers said in the release. "We urge North Korea to engage in meaningful diplomacy toward denuclearization and accept the repeated offers of dialogue put forward by Japan, the United States and the Republic of Korea."
The G7 foreign ministers referred to North Korea's actions as both destabilizing and dangerous, the release reported. The G7 demand the rogue state abandons its attempt at achieving nuclear and missile programs completely, verifiably, and irreversibly.
The continuous flouting of UN Security Council resolutions by North Korea has pushed the G7 to urge the leadership to engage in meaningful diplomacy towards the denuclearization of the region, according to the release. Furthermore, the dire humanitarian situation in North Korea is of grave concern to the G7, and they encourage the leadership to take immediate action to address the issue.
Amid a backdrop of joint military exercises between the U.S. and South Korea, North Korea has been launching missiles into the sea, according to recent reports from PBS news. These exercises occur annually and are viewed as a potential rehearsal for invasion by North Korea. Despite being scaled down this year, they still prompted North Korea to carry out these missile launches. The situation remains tense as both sides continue to engage in military posturing, heightening tensions on the Korean peninsula.
North Korea has recently fired a missile from a train-based launch system in yet another test, indicating the country's advanced missile technologies, according to The Guardian. This launch marks their third missile test this year and has caused tensions on the Korean peninsula to rise.
AP News reported these tests came shortly after North Korea's leader, Kim Jong Un, expressed his desire to engage in dialogue with the U.S., South Korea and Japan. This new development in the country's missile program could potentially impact relations between North Korea and other nations, as well as international security.
