US, Japan, South Korea condemn North Korea's missile launch

The missile, fired off North Korea's east coast earlier Wednesday, flew for 74 minutes at an altitude of 6,000km and a range of 1,000km, the longest flight time ever for a North Korean missile.

The joint statement said the launch was a "clear violation of multiple UN Security Council resolutions and poses a serious threat to peace and stability on the Korean Peninsula and beyond". The countries called on North Korea to "return promptly to dialogue".

The officials — US Secretary of State Antony Blinken, Japanese Foreign Minister Yoshimasa Hayashi and South Korean Foreign Minister Park Jin — met on the sidelines of the ASEAN Regional Forum in Jakarta, Indonesia on Friday.

Mr Blinken reaffirmed the US's "ironclad commitments" to the defence of Japan and South Korea during that meeting, according to a separate statement from the US State Department.

The launch followed fierce protests from North Korea in recent days over a US spy plane flying over waters within its exclusive economic zone, as well as the recent appearance of a US nuclear-powered cruise missile submarine in South Korea.

Hoang Anh (according to Reuters)