The European Union has strongly condemned the recent launch of an intercontinental ballistic missile by North Korea, labeling this action, as well as the deployment of troops and the supply of weapons to Russia in support of the war in Ukraine, as a serious threat to peace and security both regionally and internationally. The EU's high representative for foreign affairs, Josep Borrell, stated that these actions are a clear violation of multiple resolutions of the United Nations Security Council, as well as the UN Charter and international law.
Borrell emphasized that North Korea must fulfill its obligations immediately and abandon all its nuclear weapons, ballistic missile programs, and other weapons of mass destruction in a complete, verifiable, and irreversible manner. Furthermore, he stated that North Korea cannot and will not have the status of a nuclear-armed state. According to the head of European diplomacy, it is crucial for the international community to ensure full compliance with sanctions against Pyongyang and urge that country to cease its illegal actions and return to diplomacy to reduce tensions in the region.
The European Union is working in coordination with international partners, including South Korea and Japan, to promote meaningful diplomatic processes that lead to lasting peace and security through the complete, verifiable, and irreversible denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula. Josep Borrell will visit South Korea and Japan in November as part of the EU's ongoing efforts to strengthen its commitment in the Indo-Pacific region.
The intercontinental ballistic missile launched by North Korea traveled a distance of about one thousand kilometers and, according to reports from Tokyo and Seoul, reached a maximum altitude of 7,000 kilometers before falling into waters north of Japan. This illegal act demonstrates North Korea's persistence in developing weapons of mass destruction, which poses a serious threat to global stability and reinforces the need for a firm response from the international community.
