The foreign ministers of Group of Seven(G7) countries and the senior official representing the European Union(EU) condemned North Korea's recent launch of an intercontinental ballistic missile(ICBM) in the strongest terms on Thursday.

The ministers and the High Representative of the EU issued a joint statement denouncing the North’s continual expansion of its unlawful nuclear and ballistic missile capabilities and the escalation of its destabilizing activities.

The statement said the launches pose a grave threat to regional and international peace and stability that undermine the global non-proliferation regime, calling them a flagrant violation of United Nations Security Council(UNSC) resolutions prohibiting North Korea from conducting any launches that use ballistic missile technology.

They also called for a "strong and unified response" by the Security Council, saying that the frequency of North Korea’s repeated blatant violations of UNSC resolutions, along with the Council’s inaction due to obstruction by some members, is cause for significant alarm.

North Korean media said Thursday that the missile Pyongyang fired the previous day was a Hwasong-18 ICBM propelled by solid fuel.

[Photo : YONHAP News]