North Korea launched a short-range ballistic missile from the Wonsan area of Kangwon Province toward the Sea of Japan at approximately 09:48 Taipei time on November 17, once again increasing regional tensions.
North Korea has conducted over 30 missile tests since January and is about to complete preparations to resume nuclear test explosions, further escalating tension on the Korean Peninsula. The Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MOFA) of the Republic of China (Taiwan) strongly condemns North Korea for its repeated tests of various types of missiles in disregard of United Nations Security Council prohibitions and for jeopardizing regional peace and stability. The Korean Mission in Taipei has on multiple occasions thanked the Taiwan government for expressing grave concern over the situation on the Korean Peninsula and for condemning North Korea’s irresponsible and dangerous actions in step with the international community.
As important members of the Indo-Pacific community, Taiwan and the Republic of Korea both face military threats from dictatorial regimes. In August, China conducted large-scale live-fire exercises in the waters and airspace around Taiwan with the aim of making the Taiwan Strait its internal waters, thereby posing a threat to international air and sea navigation freedoms. Addressing China’s threatening military behavior, many like-minded nations including the United States, Japan, the Republic of Korea, and Association of Southeast Asian Nations member states have reiterated the importance of peace and stability across the Taiwan Strait to regional security and prosperity. In addition, when attending the 17th East Asia Summit on November 13 in Phnom Penh, Cambodia, US President Joe Biden, Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida, and Republic of Korea President Yoon Suk-yeol again reaffirmed the importance of maintaining peace and stability across the Taiwan Strait as an indispensable element of security and prosperity in the international community.
Taiwan will continue to closely follow North Korea’s provocative actions and their potential impact on the region. The government of Taiwan is willing to work with the United States, Japan, the Republic of Korea, and other countries in the region to promote and ensure peace, prosperity, and denuclearization across the Korean Peninsula; collectively deter authoritarian expansion and aggression; uphold the rules-based international order; and safeguard a free, open, stable, and prosperous Indo-Pacific.