• G7 condemns North Korean long-range ballistic missile launch

MUNICH: US Secretary of State Antony Blinken, standing alongside his South Korean and Japanese counterparts on Saturday, urged countries to step up enforcement of sanctions against North Korea in response to its latest ballistic missile launch.

“Countries that have influence with North Korea should use it to try to move it from the course that it’s been on now for the last couple of years,” Blinken said on the sidelines of the Munich Security Conference.

Meanwhile, the Group of Seven foreign ministers also condemned “in the strongest terms” North Korea’s launch of a long-range ballistic missile into the sea off Japan’s west coast, saying it required a unified response from the international community.

“This act is in blatant violation of UN Security Council Resolutions (UNSCRs), and threatens regional and international peace and security,” the foreign ministers said in a statement after meeting on the sidelines of a security conference in Munich.

“North Korea’s reckless behavior demands a unified response by the international community, including further significant measures taken by the UN Security Council,” they added.

Reuters