Foreign ministers of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) condemned North Korea’s recent missile tests while calling for cooperation to reduce peninsula tensions, as representatives of both Koreas refused to interact at an ASEAN summit over the weekend. 

The ASEAN foreign ministers released the joint communique following a meeting in Laos on Thursday for the ASEAN Regional Forum (ARF), which ran through Saturday.

“We expressed grave concern over the recent surge in the [DPRK’s] intercontinental ballistic missile testing and ballistic missile launches and the increased tension in the Korean Peninsula, which are a worrisome development that threatens peace and