EU condemns North Korean missile tests

"The EU urges the DPRK to respond constructively to the readiness for diplomacy expressed by the United States and the Republic of Korea and engage in actions towards denuclearisation," the EU statement said. The 27-nation EU wants North Korea to completely abandon its nuclear and ballistic missiles programmes and said that until the country complied with its obligations under U.N. Security Council Resolutions, the EU would continue to implement sanctions against it and encourage others to do the same.

The European Union on Tuesday condemned the latest North Korean missile launch, a spokesman for the EU's High Representative for Foreign Relations said in a statement, urging the country to "respond constructively" to U.S. readiness for diplomacy. North Korea appeared to test-fire a ballistic missile on Tuesday that may be more advanced than a "hypersonic" one it launched less than a week ago, South Korea's military said, as Pyongyang pursues increasingly powerful weapons.

"The DPRK's continued pursuit of illegal weapons systems is a threat to international peace and security and goes against international efforts to resume dialogue and engage in actions to help its people," the statement from the European Union foreign policy spokesman Nabila Massrali said. "The EU urges the DPRK to respond constructively to the readiness for diplomacy expressed by the United States and the Republic of Korea and engage in actions towards denuclearisation," the EU statement said.

The 27-nation EU wants North Korea to completely abandon its nuclear and ballistic missiles programmes and said that until the country complied with its obligations under U.N. Security Council Resolutions, the EU would continue to implement sanctions against it and encourage others to do the same.