International sanctions against the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea (DPRK) are not working, said Secretary of Defence of the Philippines Delfin Lorenzana on Tuesday.

Secretary of Defence of the Philippines Delfin Lorenzana at the 11th ASEAN Defence Ministers’ Meeting (Photo: Xinhua/VNA)

The Philippine official made the statement during a press conference after the ASEAN Defence Ministers’ Meeting (ADMM) and the ADMM Plus in the Philippines.  He stressed that major countries should reconsider their approach to the DPRK.

The United Nations Security Council imposed new sanctions against the DPRK after consecutive ballistic missile tests and its 6^th nuclear test recently.

The US, the Republic of Korea and Japan agreed to increase the pressure on the DPRK, saying the country’s missile and nuclear programmes pose a major threat to the region.

The ADMM is the highest defence consultative and cooperative mechanism in ASEAN.  It aims to promote mutual trust and confidence through greater understanding of defence and security challenges, as well as enhancement of transparency and openness among the 10 ASEAN member states.

The ADMM-Plus is a platform for ASEAN defence ministers to engage their dialogue partners from Asia and the Pacific.

(Source: VNA)