THE PHILIPPINES on Thursday expressed “serious concern” and denounced the ballistic launch conducted by the North Korean government earlier this week, as it urged the country to avoid jeopardizing peace and economic progress in the region.

“We renew our call on the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea (DPRK) to promptly cease these activities and abide by all international obligations, including relevant United Nations (UN) Security Council Resolutions, and to commit to peaceful and constructive dialogue,” the Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) said in a statement.

North Korea on Monday launched a ballistic missile that flew 1,100 kilometers that landed between the Korean Peninsula and Japan, South Korea’s military said in a statement on Monday.

Seoul’s joint chiefs of staff said the midrange missile was fired from an area near Pyongyang and was detected early by US and South Korean militaries.

Last year, Manila denounced two separate North Korean missile launches as it called for peace and continued dialogue in the Korean Peninsula.

In 2021, the Senate ratified UN Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons, making the Philippines the 53rd nation to adopt the treaty. The treaty, signed by 86 countries, took effect after it was ratified by at least 50 states.

The treaty bars nations from developing, testing, producing, manufacturing, transferring, possessing, stockpiling, using or threatening to use nuclear weapons.

“Such provocative actions undermine economic progress, peace, and stability in the Korean Peninsula and the Indo-Pacific region,” the Philippine Foreign Affairs department said. — John Victor D. Ordoñez