GENEVA

NATO on Thursday condemned North Korea's ballistic missile test, saying such actions undermine regional and international security, according to a South Korean news agency.

"NATO strongly condemns North Korea's latest test of a long-range ballistic missile, in direct violation of multiple UN Security Council resolutions," Dylan White, NATO's deputy spokesman, told Yonhap News in a statement.

White's remarks came after North Korea fired an intermediate- or longer-range ballistic missile toward the East Sea earlier Thursday, according to the officials from Seoul.

Noting that North Korea has conducted a record number of ballistic missile launches since 2022, he said: "These provocations by Pyongyang undermine regional and international security. North Korea must stop its reckless behavior, abandon its unlawful nuclear and ballistic missile programs, and engage in good-faith diplomacy."

He further said NATO "stands in strong solidarity" with allies in the region, such as South Korea, Japan, Australia, and New Zealand.