The Federal Government strongly condemns the illegal tests of short-range ballistic missiles by North Korea on 23 December 2022. With an unprecedented series of missile tests since the beginning of the year in breach of international law, North Korea is blatantly violating its obligations under relevant resolutions of the UN Security Council and jeopardising regional and international security and stability.

We call upon North Korea to implement the decisions of the Security Council in full, to take up the offers of dialogue put forward by the United States and South Korea, and to take concrete, credible steps towards the complete, irreversible and verifiable ending of its programmes to develop weapons of mass destruction and ballistic missiles.