DFA condemns North Korea’s ballistic missile launch: It ‘provokes tensions’

On Saturday, Aug. 24, 2019 (file photo provided Sunday, Aug. 25), the North Korean government shows the test firing of a missile at an undisclosed location in North Korea. (File picture from Korean Central News Agency/Korea News Service via AP)

MANILA, Philippines — The Philippine government has denounced the recent ballistic missile launch by the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea (DPRK), also known as North Korea.

A statement from the Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) on Tuesday said the launch on July 1 “provokes tensions and undermines economic progress, peace and stability in the Korean Peninsula and the Indo-Pacific region.”

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“The Philippines has repeatedly called on the DPRK to also comply with its international obligations and the relevant UN [United Nations] Security Council resolutions and to commit to constructive and peaceful dialogue with the Republic of Korea,” it added.

The DFA further said the country has consistently supported the call for the complete, verifiable and irreversible denuclearization of the DPRK.

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An Associated Press report dated July 1 said the missiles were launched 10 minutes apart in a northeasterly direction from the town of Jangyon in southeastern North Korea.

These events came two days after the United States, Japan, and South Korea concluded their new trilateral drills in the region, it added.