Secretary of State Rex Tillerson issued a written statement confirming that North Korea test-launched an intercontinental ballistic missile.
On Tuesday, Tillerson strongly condemned North Korea’s launch of an intercontinental ballistic missile and called for a global action to stop further geopolitical instability.
“Testing an ICBM represents a new escalation of the threat to the United States, our allies and partners, the region, and the world”, said Tillerson in a written statement.
“Any country that hosts North Korean guest workers, provides any economic or military benefits, or fails to fully implement UN Security Council resolutions”, he continued ” is aiding and abetting a dangerous regime.”
Tillerson called for all nations to follow the U.S. example and “publicly demonstrate to North Korea that there are consequences to their pursuit of nuclear weapons.”
The U.S. intends to bring North Korea’s provocative action before the UN Security Council and enact stronger measures to hold the DPRK accountable.
Echoing the recent statement issued by POTUS, Tillerson said that the peaceful denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula is the top priority. “As we, along with others, have made clear, we will never accept a nuclear-armed North Korea,” Tillerson concluded.
The President and his national security team are continuing to assess the situation in close coordination with our allies and partners.