Philippines urges North Korea to halt ballistic missile tests

People watch a television screen showing a news broadcast with file footage of a North Korean missile test, at a train station in Seoul on October 31, 2024. FILE PHOTO/Agence France-Presse

MANILA, Philippines — The Philippines urged the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea (DPRK) on Monday to halt its continuing ballistic missile launches and abide by international obligations.

The Department of Foreign Affairs said that these continued launch of ballistic missiles “undermine economic progress, peace, and stability in the Korean Peninsula and the Indo-Pacific region.”

“We call on the DPRK to immediately cease these activities and abide by all international obligations, including relevant UN Security Council Resolutions, and to commit to peaceful and constructive dialogue,” said DFA.

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“The Philippines wants to see lasting peace on the Korean Peninsula and echoes the calls of the international community for a complete, verifiable, and irreversible denuclearization of DPRK,” it added.

International media earlier reported that North Korea on October 31 test-fired one of its most powerful missiles, marking Kim Jong Un’s first weapons test since being accused of sending soldiers to Russia.