PH condemns NoKor ballistic missile launch

The Philippines on Wednesday condemned North Korea's firing of multiple ballistic short-range missiles, calling it an act of provocation that undermines regional peace and stability.

Pyongyang, according to reports, launched the missiles last May 7 to test its performance and projectile before landing at sea.

Manila said North Korea's missile launch are considered "provocative actions" that "undermine economic progress, peace, and stability in the Korean Peninsula and the Indo-Pacific region."

"We renew our call on the DPRK to promptly cease these activities and abide by all international obligations, including relevant UN Security Council Resolutions, and to commit to peaceful and constructive dialogue," the Department of Foreign Affairs said, using North Korea's official name of Democratic People's Republic of Korea or DPRK.

Instability in the Korean Peninsula has long worried the Philippines due to the large presence of Filipino workers in South Korea, numbering to at least 60,000.

An escalation of conflict is also seen to affect at about 242,000 Filipinos in Japan.

Manila has consistently supported the call for a complete, verifiable, and irreversible denuclearization of the DPRK. —AOL, GMA Integrated News