G7 Calls For 'significant Measures' Over N Korea's ICBM Launch

The Group of 7 nations has called for tough punitive actions in response to North Korea’s latest Intercontinental ballistic missile test.

North Korea’s reckless behavior demands a swift and unified response by the international community including further significant measures by the UN Security Council, G7 Foreign Ministers of Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, the United Kingdom, the United States, and the High Representative of the European Union said in a statement.

North Korea fired an ICBM on March 16, to coincide with landmark talks between the leaders of South Korea and Japan aimed at improving bilateral relations.

The long-range ballistic missile, which could potentially reach mainland United States, was launched from Pyongyang on the east coast of North Korea, and landed outside Japan’s exclusive economic zone.

Thursday’s missile launch was the fourth by North Korea in a week, and came within a month of it firing another ICBM.

“We reiterate our demand that North Korea abandon its nuclear weapons, existing nuclear programs, and any other weapons of mass destruction and ballistic missile programs in a complete, verifiable, and irreversible manner and fully comply with all obligations under the relevant United Nations Security Council Resolutions,” G7 statement said.

G7 called on all UN Member States to fully and effectively implement all UN Security Council resolutions.

Since last year, North Korea intensified its escalatory actions through a record number of ballistic missile launches and its continued irresponsible and destabilizing rhetoric regarding the use of nuclear weapons. Earlier this year, North Korea publicly stated its intent to further expand and enhance its nuclear and missile programs.

It stressed that North Korea cannot and will never have the status of a nuclear-weapon State in accordance with the Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons.

G7 urged North Korea to engage in meaningful diplomacy toward denuclearization and accept the repeated offers of dialogue put forward by Japan, the United States, and South Korea.

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