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.