Days after North Korea test-fired its first ballistic missile of the Biden administration, the U.S. secretary of state condemned the launch as “a serious threat” but assured Pyongyang that it “does nothing to shake the resolve” of American allies.

Speaking at a press conference on Monday, Antony Blinken said that the United States, South Korea and Japan are ready to approach North Korea from “a position of strength” in order to “diminish the threat that it poses to the region and beyond.”

Blinken also pointed out that the launch— which sent two short-range ballistic missiles flying towards the