The G7 foreign ministers strongly condemned North Korea's latest ballistic missile launch, calling it a "clear, flagrant violation" of UN resolutions and a threat to global peace in a joint statement released on August 24, 2023.
“We deplore North Korea’s choice to divert its limited resources to fund its unlawful weapons of mass destruction and ballistic missile programs, thereby aggravating the suffering of the people in North Korea and contributing to human rights violations and abuses," the statement said.
The stern and united response was issued by the G7 foreign ministers from Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, the United Kingdom, the United States and the High Representative of the European Union.
The joint statement labeled the act a "clear, flagrant violation" of several United Nations Security Council Resolutions (UNSCRs) and a peril to international peace and stability. The failed launch prompted neighboring Japan to issue a brief "J-alert," ordering some residents to evacuate to safe locations as the North Korean rocket flew over Okinawa to the Pacific Ocean, according to NPR News.
The group's statement highlights that the launch poses a grave danger not only to the region but to global peace and stability. This latest move by North Korea signifies a continued escalation by the reclusive nation, intensifying its actions, including a record number of ballistic missile launches, the joint statement said.
In the statement, the G7 ministers reiterated their demand for North Korea to abandon its nuclear weapons and other programs of mass destruction in a complete, verifiable, and irreversible manner. They said North Korea would not be a nuclear-weapons state under the Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons (NPT).
In the wake of this violation, the G7's statement also calls for a swift, united, and robust international response, particularly by the UNSC. The group expressed concern over the UNSC's inaction in response to North Korea's violations and has urged the members to honor their commitments.
In their statement, the G7 encourages North Korea to engage in meaningful diplomacy and to accept dialogue offers from Japan, the United States, and the Republic of Korea.
