Joint Statement by the Republic of Korea (ROK) Minister of Foreign Affairs Park Jin, U.S. Secretary of State Antony J. Blinken,and Japanese Foreign Minister Hayashi Yoshimasa
July 14, 2023
The Republic of Korea, the United States, and Japan strongly condemn the
launch of an intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM) by the DPRK on 12 July
2023. This constitutes a clear, flagrant violation of multiple UN Security Council
resolutions and poses a grave threat to peace and stability on the Korean Peninsula
and beyond. The DPRK’s launch of this ICBM threatened the safety of civil
aviation and maritime traffic in the region.
We will work together with the UN and the international community to ensure
that UN Security Council resolutions that impose sanctions against the DPRK are
fully implemented. Furthermore, the three countries will continue to work closely
with the international community to block the DPRK’s illicit revenue generation
through overseas workers and malicious cyber activities that fund its unlawful
WMD and ballistic missile programs.
The United States reiterated that its commitments to defend the ROK and Japan
are ironclad and backed by the full range of capabilities, including nuclear. In
addition, the three countries will further strengthen our trilateral security
cooperation to effectively address the DPRK’s nuclear and missile threats
including by sharing DPRK missile warning data in real-time and by conducting
missile defense exercises, anti-submarine exercises, and maritime interdiction
exercises.
The DPRK's continued development of its nuclear and ballistic missile
capabilities will only bolster the resolve of the three countries and the international
community to achieve the complete denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula. We
deplore the DPRK regime’s insistence on aggravating the suffering and human
rights of the people in the DPRK by using its limited resources to fund its unlawful
nuclear and ballistic missile programs.
The ROK, the United States, and Japan urge the DPRK to cease its unlawful
and escalatory actions and promptly return to dialogue.