The leaders of South Korea, the U.S. and Japan issued on Friday their first joint statement on North Korea.

The presidential office of Cheong Wa Dae said following their trilateral summit at the U.S. consulate in Hamburg, Germany, the three leaders issued a statement condemning North Korea's "unprecedented launch on July 4 of a ballistic missile with intercontinental range," calling it a major escalation that directly violates multiple UN Security Council resolutions.

They said it also clearly demonstrates the growing threat North Korea poses to the U.S., South Korea and Japan, as well as countries around the world. 

The statement notably did not call the projectile an intercontinental ballistic missile(ICBM).

President Moon Jae-in, President Donald Trump and Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe also decided to press for the early adoption of a new UNSC resolution with additional sanctions to demonstrate to North Korea that there are serious consequences for its "destabilizing, provocative and escalatory actions."

They also called on the international community to swiftly and fully implement all UNSC resolutions and take measures to reduce economic relations with Pyongyang.

The three countries said they will never accept a nuclear armed North Korea but emphasized that they, together with the rest of the international community, "stand ready to offer a brighter future for the North if it chooses the right path."

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