BRUSSELS (Sputnik) – The European Union considers North Korea’s latest missile launch is a threat to Japan, the bloc will prepare a reaction to it, EU foreign policy chief Federica Mogherini said Tuesday.
Earlier in the day, North Korea launched a missile which flew over Japan before falling into the Pacific Ocean 1,180 kilometers (733 miles) east of Japan's northern island Hokkaido. The launch was conducted at 05:57 a.m. local time (21:27 GMT on Monday). The Japanese military said the projectile was likely a Hwasong-12 ballistic missile with a flight range of about 5,000 kilometers [3,107 miles].
"I express my full support to Japan and the people of Japan in the face of this direct threat … The European Union will consider further appropriate response in close consultation with key partners and in line with UN Security Council deliberations," Mogherini said.
The EU foreign policy chief pointed out that the European Union supported Japan's call to convey an emergency meeting of the United Nations Security Council (UNSC).
"The DPRK must engage in a credible and meaningful dialogue in order to defuse tension and to enable steps aimed at pursuing the complete, verifiable and irreversible denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula and the full implementation of all relevant UN Security Council resolutions," Mogherini added.
Tensions on the Korean Peninsula have recently escalated, particularly between the United States and North Korea, following the UN Security Council's adoption of new sanctions against Pyongyang on August 5. Washington and Pyongyang exchanged heated warnings, with US President Donald Trump promising to meet any North Korean threat with "fire and fury" and North Korea saying it was considering a strike near Guam.
