Taiwan condemns North Korea for firing ballistic missiles

Taipei, May 30 (CNA) Taiwan's Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MOFA) on Thursday condemned North Korea for firing multiple ballistic missiles off its east coast, which it said has destabilized stability in the region again.

MOFA said North Korea filed more than 10 short-range ballistic missiles at 5:14 a.m. (Taiwan time) toward the Sea of Japan.

It added that Taiwan was unhappy to see North Korea firing missiles recklessly and again condemned such acts as undermining regional peace and stability.

Taiwan will continue to closely monitor any provocative acts by Pyongyang, and work with like-minded countries to protect freedom and prosperity in the Indo-Pacific region and to deter the expansion of authoritarianism, MOFA said.

It is the second time since May 17 that North Korea has fired ballistic missiles toward the Sea of Japan. All were believed to have fallen outside Japan's exclusive economic zone, foreign media reported.

Thursday's launch followed a failed attempt by nuclear-armed North Korea to put a second spy satellite into orbit on May 27, shortly after Beijing, Tokyo and Seoul held a summit and emphasized the importance of the denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula, according to the reports.