EU Strongly Condemns North Korea's ICBM Launch as Dangerous, Illegal, and Reckless Act

[Image source=Reuters Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy Reporter Hyunwoo Lee] The European Union (EU) strongly condemned North Korea's intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM) launch as extremely reckless. It called for the United Nations Security Council (UNSC) to respond, stating that North Korea must dismantle all its nuclear weapons and ballistic missile programs.

According to AFP on the 19th (local time), the 27 EU member states issued a statement expressing deep concern over North Korea's ICBM falling into Japan's Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ) the previous day, calling it "extremely reckless, illegal, and reckless behavior."

The statement pointed out that "North Korea's continued attempts to develop more threatening means to project weapons of mass destruction threaten all countries." It urged North Korea to "immediately cease actions that violate UNSC resolutions and escalate tensions."

The EU also emphasized that North Korea must completely dismantle all nuclear weapons and ballistic missile programs, appealing for an appropriate response from the Security Council. The Security Council is scheduled to hold an open meeting on the 21st to discuss North Korea's non-proliferation issues.

Earlier, the South Korean Joint Chiefs of Staff announced that at around 10:15 a.m. KST on the 18th, North Korea launched one ICBM from the Sunan area in Pyongyang toward the East Sea. The ICBM, detected with a flight distance of approximately 1,000 km, an altitude of about 6,100 km, and a speed of about Mach 22, is analyzed to be capable of striking the entire U.S. mainland.