The United States condemned North Korea’s firing of an intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM) on Thursday, calling it a threat to global peace and stability.
Department of State spokesperson Ned Price also called on all countries to fully implement U.N. Security Council sanctions on North Korea.
“The United States condemns the DPRK’s intercontinental ballistic missile launch,” the spokesperson said in a released statement, referring to North Korea by its official name, the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea.
“This launch is a clear violation of multiple United Nations Security Council resolutions and demonstrates the threat the DPRK’s unlawful weapons of mass destruction and ballistic missile programs pose to its neighbors, the region, international peace and security, and the global non-proliferation regime,” he added.
The rare statement from the State Department spokesperson came after North Korea test-fired an ICBM early Thursday (Seoul time), marking its seventh ICBM launch this year and first since May.
North Korea fired more than 20 short-range missiles the day before, one of which landed in waters south of the de facto maritime border with South Korea, known as the Northern Limit Line.
“This action underscores the need for all countries to fully implement DPRK-related U.N. Security Council resolutions, which are intended to prohibit the DPRK from acquiring the technologies and materials needed to carry out these destabilizing tests,” Price said.
The U.S. official also called on Pyongyang to engage in dialogue.