SEOUL, South Korea -- Indonesia, one of the few nations to have decades of cordial relations with North Korea, has condemned its launch of a missile that flew over Japan.
The Philippines, this year's chairman of meetings of the 10-member Association of Southeast Asian Nations (Asean), has also expressed grave concern, urging Pyongyang to halt such provocative actions.
Indonesia's Ministry of Foreign Affairs said the missile test is inconsistent with North Korea's international obligations. It urged North Korea to abide by United Nations (UN) resolutions condemning its ballistic missile launches and nuclear weapons development.
"Stability on the Korean peninsula is very important," the ministry said.
Philippine Foreign Affairs Secretary Alan Peter Cayetano called on North Korea to halt provocative actions.
Cayetano said Asean and the Philippines as its chair this year remain committed to peaceful resolution of conflict but that "provocations such as this latest missile launch should stop to help us put in place an environment that would be conducive to dialogue."
North Korea fired a ballistic missile from its capital Pyongyang that flew over Japan before plunging into the northern Pacific Ocean, officials said Tuesday, August 29.
Pyongyang's move is an aggressive test-flight over the territory of a close United States (US) ally that sends a clear message of defiance as Washington and Seoul conduct war games nearby.
Seoul's Joint Chiefs of Staff said the missile traveled around 2,700 kilometers (1,677 miles) and reached a maximum height of 550 kilometers (341 miles) as it flew over the northern Japanese island of Hokkaido.
The launch, which appears to be the first to cross over Japan since 2009, will rattle a region worried that each new missile test puts the North a step closer toward its goal of an arsenal of nuclear missiles that can reliably target the United States. It appeared to be the North's longest-ever missile test, but South Korean officials couldn't immediately confirm. (AP)