G7 Foreign Ministers’ Statement on the launch of an Intercontinental Ballistic Missile by North Korea

F.P. Report

LONDON: G7 Foreign Ministers and the High Representative of the European Union statement on the recent testing of ballistic missiles by North Korea.

We, the G7 Foreign Ministers of Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, the United Kingdom, and the United States of America, and the High Representative of the European Union strongly condemn the continued testing of ballistic missiles by the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea (DPRK), including the Intercontinental Ballistic Missile (ICBM) launch conducted on March 24, 2022.

Since the beginning of 2022, the DPRK has conducted an unprecedented series of missile tests which build on ballistic missile tests conducted in 2021, including launches of new so-called hypersonic missiles, and has claimed a submarine-launched ballistic missile test. These tests demonstrate the DPRK’s continued efforts to expand and further develop its ballistic missile capabilities. We deeply regret that the DPRK, with the most recent launches, has also abandoned its self-declared moratorium on ICBM launches. We strongly condemn these acts which are in blatant violation of the DPRK´s obligations under numerous UN Security Council resolutions including resolution 2397 (2017). These reckless actions threaten regional and international peace and security, pose a dangerous and unpredictable risk to international civil aviation and maritime navigation in the region and demand a united response by the international community, including by further measures to be taken by the UN Security Council.

We strongly urge the DPRK to fully comply with all legal obligations arising from the relevant Security Council resolutions. We call on the DPRK to accept the repeated offers of dialogue put forward by all parties concerned, including the United States, the Republic of Korea and Japan. We, the G7 foreign ministers and the High Representative of the European Union, also call on the DPRK to abandon its weapons of mass destruction and ballistic missile programmes in a complete, verifiable and irreversible manner.

We are clear that the dire humanitarian situation in the DPRK is the result of the DPRK´s diversion of the DPRK’s resources into weapons of mass destruction and ballistic missile programmes rather than into the welfare of its people.

We call on all States to fully and effectively implement all restrictive measures relating to the DPRK imposed by the UN Security Council and to address the risk of weapons of mass destruction proliferation from the DPRK as an urgent priority. We note with concern the report by the Panel of Experts established in pursuant to resolution 1874(2009) that illicit ship-to-ship transfers continue to take place. We remain ready to assist in and strengthen capacities for effective sanctions implementation. In the context of the Covid-19 pandemic, we commend the work of the 1718 Committee, which has swiftly approved all Covid-19 related sanctions exemption requests for humanitarian assistance for the DPRK.

The G7 are committed to working with all relevant partners towards the goal of peace on the Korean Peninsula and to upholding the rules-based international order.