In this Saturday, Aug. 5, 2017, file photo, ASEAN Foreign Ministers link hands "The ASEAN Way" at the opening ceremony of the 50th ASEAN Foreign Minis...
In this Saturday, Aug. 5, 2017, file photo, ASEAN Foreign Ministers link hands "The ASEAN Way" at the opening ceremony of the 50th ASEAN Foreign Ministers Meeting at the Philippine International Convention Center in Manila, Philippines. They are, from left, Malaysia's Anifah Aman, Myanmar's U Kyaw Tin, Thailand's Don Pramudwinai, Vietnam's Pham Binh Minh, Philippines' Alan Peter Cayetano, Singapore's Vivian Balakrishnan, Brunei's Lim Jock Seng, Cambodia's Prak Sokhonn, Indonesia's Retno Marsudi, Laos' Saleumxay Kommasith and ASEAN Secretary-General Le Luong Minh. (Mohd Rasfan/Pool Photo via AP, File)
South Korean Foreign Minister Kang Kyung-wha answers questions from reporters as she arrives for the 50th ASEAN Foreign Ministers' Meeting and its dia...
South Korean Foreign Minister Kang Kyung-wha answers questions from reporters as she arrives for the 50th ASEAN Foreign Ministers' Meeting and its dialogue partners at the airport in Manila, Philippines, Saturday, Aug. 5, 2017. Alarm over North Korea's intercontinental ballistic missile tests, a tentative step to temper South China Sea disputes and unease over a disastrous siege by pro-Islamic State group militants will grab the spotlight in an annual gathering of Southeast Asia's top diplomats with their Asian and Western counterparts. (AP Photo/Aaron Favila)
Philippine Foreign Affairs Secretary Alan Peter Cayetano walks to deliver his speech at the opening ceremony of the 50th ASEAN Foreign Ministers Meeti...
Philippine Foreign Affairs Secretary Alan Peter Cayetano walks to deliver his speech at the opening ceremony of the 50th ASEAN Foreign Ministers Meeting at the Philippine International Convention Center Saturday, Aug. 5, 2017 in suburban Pasay city, south of Manila, Philippines. (AP Photo/Mohd Rasfan, Pool)
ASEAN foreign ministers walk for the opening ceremony of the 50th ASEAN Foreign Ministers Meeting at the Philippine International Convention Center Sa...
ASEAN foreign ministers walk for the opening ceremony of the 50th ASEAN Foreign Ministers Meeting at the Philippine International Convention Center Saturday, Aug. 5, 2017 in suburban Pasay city, south Manila, Philippines. They are, from left, Retno Marsudi of Indonesia, Anifah Aman of Malaysia, Alan Peter Cayetano of the Philippines, Vivian Balakrishnan of Singapore, Pham Binh Minh of Vietnam, ASEAN Secretary General Le Luong Minh and Lim Jock Seng of Brunei. (AP Photo/Bullit Marquez, Pool)
MANILA, Philippines (AP) — Southeast Asia's top diplomats have slammed North Korea with a sharp rebuke over its intercontinental ballistic missile tests and reminded Pyongyang of its duty to avoid conflicts as a member of Asia's biggest security forum.
The 10 foreign ministers of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations reiterated in a joint statement Saturday their grave concerns over the escalation of tensions on the Korean Peninsula due to the North's two ICBM tests last month, saying the launches threaten world stability.
Philippine Foreign Secretary Alan Peter Cayetano said earlier that the ASEAN ministers were divided over a U.S. proposal to remove North Korea from the ASEAN Regional Forum, a 27-member grouping that includes the North, along with its most bitter adversaries — South Korea, the United States and Japan.
