Members of the G-7 on Thursday condemned North Korea's latest ballistic missile test.
In a joint statement signed by the foreign ministers of Canada, France, Germany, Italy, and Japan, plus the UK foreign secretary, U.S. secretary of state, and EU foreign policy chief, they said: "North Korea continues to expand its unlawful nuclear and ballistic missile capabilities and to escalate its destabilizing activities."
The statement argued that North Korea's ballistic missile launches, in violation of UN Security Council resolutions, pose a grave threat to regional and international peace and stability, and undermine the global non-proliferation regime.
Calling on North Korea to avoid taking more provocative actions, the countries reiterated that it should abandon nuclear weapons, existing nuclear programs, and any other weapons of mass destruction and ballistic missile programs.
"North Korea's decision to prioritize its unlawful weapons of mass destruction and ballistic missile programs over the welfare of the people in North Korea is aggravating an already dire humanitarian situation," the statement added.
North Korea on Thursday confirmed the launch of a new-type Hwasong-18 intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM), claiming to have set a new record flight time of 4,491 seconds, the longest for a North Korean missile.
Last month, North Korea conducted two short-range ballistic missile tests off its east coast in response to U.S. and South Korean joint military drills.
The launch on Wednesday came just a day after Kim Yo-jong, North Korean leader Kim Jong-un's sister, warned that Pyongyang would take "clear and resolute" action against U.S. surveillance flights within the North's "economic water zone."
Pyongyang has launched 12 missiles this year, including the intercontinental ballistic-class Hwasong-15, Hwasong-17, and Hwasong-18 missiles, according to the Japanese news agency NHK.
North Korea also launched its first military spy satellite in May, before it crashed into the sea.
