Philippines urges North Korea to stop “dangerous, provocative” action

August 29, 2017

The Philippines, current chairman of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations, has called on North Korea to stop its “dangerous” and “provocative” action after it launched a missile that flew off Japan’s northern waters on Tuesday.

Manila said Pyongyang’s missile launch that reached Japan’s northern island of Hokkaido, aims to “heighten tensions, increase instability and the risk of miscalculation, and could possibly endanger lives."

The missile, launched 5 a.m. Philippines time, has sparked global concern and condemnation.

"We recall the ASEAN Foreign Ministers’ Statement on Developments in the Korean Peninsula issued on August 5th and urge the DPRK to fully comply with its obligations under the relevant United Nations Security Council Resolutions,” Foreign Secretary Alan Peter Cayetano said in a statement. DPRK stands for Democratic People’s Republic of Korea, North Korea’s official name.

This is the second time the DPRK fired a missile over Japanese airspace. The first missile launch was in 1998.

Earlier this month, North Korea threatened to fire missiles at Guam, a United States Pacific territory.

"ASEAN and the Philippines, as this year's Chair, remain committed to peaceful resolutions of conflict," said Cayetano.

"While we are ready to do our part, provocations such as this latest missile launch should stop to help us put in place an environment that would be conducive for dialogue."

Cayetano has instructed the Philippine Embassy in Tokyo to closely monitor the situation and to ensure Filipinos living and working in Japan are safe.

"Our Embassy in Tokyo and our Consulate General in Osaka are prepared to assist them should it be necessary,” Cayetano said.

Instability in the Korean Peninsula has worried the Philippines due to the presence of at least 57,000 Filipino workers in South Korea.  DMS