Deputy Secretary Sherman and Vice Ministers Cho Hyun-dong and Mori Takeo strongly condemned the missile launch for its destabilizing effect on the region and the world, noting that it was only the latest in a series of ballistic missile launches and use of aggressive rhetoric by the DPRK that have escalated tensions.

The officials reiterated the importance of trilateral cooperation among the United States, the RoK, and Japan in responding to the DPRK’s increasingly dangerous behavior. 

Sherman reaffirmed the ironclad US commitments to the defense of the RoK and Japan, and stressed the need for the international community to stand together in holding the DPRK accountable for its continued violations of multiple UN Security Council resolutions.