Marcos condemns North Korea's ballistic missile launch

TOKYO: President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. on Monday joined Japan and his fellow leaders from the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (Asean) in condemning North Korea's firing of an intercontinental ballistic missile into the Sea of Japan.

In his speech during the meeting of Asia Zero Emission Community leaders here, Marcos described North Korea's move as «dangerous and provocative» as it destabilizes the region and the world.

«We join Japan, together with the rest of the Asean, in condemning the continued threat that the launching [of] ballistic missiles by the DPRK [Democratic People's Republic of Korea] represents,» Marcos said. «Such dangerous and provocative actions by the DPRK threaten and destabilize the region and the world.»

«The Philippines joins its voice to all our partners in peace in condemning this looming existential threat,» he added.

North Korea fired a long-range ballistic missile, which supposedly fell into the sea west of Hokkaido, according to Japan's coast guard.

Japan's Defense Ministry said the weapon, believed to be an intercontinental ballistic missile, flew for about 73 minutes before splashing down.

The launch came after warnings from officials in Seoul and Tokyo that nuclear-armed North Korea was preparing to test-fire a missile, including one of its longest-range intercontinental ballistic missiles this month.

All of North Korea's ballistic missile activities are banned by United Nations Security Council resolutions, though Pyongyang defends them as its sovereign right to self defense.