The top diplomats from South Korea, the U.S. and Japan have strongly condemned the latest intercontinental ballistic missile(ICBM) launch by North Korea and urged the North to immediately cease its provocative and destabilizing actions.

Foreign minister Cho Tae-yul, U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken and Japanese Foreign Minister Iwaya Takeshi held a phone call on Thursday in which they called the ICBM launch a flagrant violation of multiple UN Security Council resolutions and said it threatens peace and security on the Korean Peninsula and beyond. 

In a joint statement, the three sides noted that the launch followed an announcement from the North indicating that its constitution now defines South Korea as a hostile state. 

The U.S. and Japan reiterated their support for a peacefully unified Korean Peninsula that is free and at peace, urging Pyongyang to return to dialogue immediately. 

They said it is possible to achieve lasting peace on the Korean Peninsula only through dialogue.

The statement said the three nations, together with the international community, will continue to work closely toward the goal of the complete denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula.

The three sides also reaffirmed their commitment to strengthening their joint efforts to block the North’s illicit generation of revenue to fund its unlawful weapons of mass destruction and ballistic missile programs.