October 04, 2023
News

G-7 foreign ministers declare North Korea will never be ‘nuclear-weapon state’

Expert says group appears to respond to debate about accepting DPRK nukes in statement condemning latest ICBM test

The foreign ministers of leading industrial nations have condemned North Korea’s latest launch of an intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM) capable of striking the U.S., stating Pyongyang will never obtain “the status of a nuclear-weapon state.”

The Group of Seven foreign ministers issued the statement on Sunday in response to the DPRK’s test-firing of an ICBM into the East Sea, also known as the Sea of Japan, on Friday. North Korean state media has identified the missile tested as a Hwasong-17, the largest weapon in the country’s arsenal.