SEOUL: Malaysia strongly condemns the provocative act by North Korea which not only causes instability in the region but is also inconsistent with humanitarian values accepted by all, said Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim.

Anwar said any provocations by Pyongyang could disrupt the whole process of bringing peace to the region and cause further uncertainty.

“... whatever power policy, missiles, nuclear, they want to have for themselves, that’s a different issue, but the moment it is deemed provocative or challenge any other state, then we condemn that.

“We condemn the provocations by North Korea because it is inconsistent with the values we accept, the humanitarian values for peace and stability in the region,” he said in his special address titled “Strategic Partners in a Complex World: Malaysia, Korea, and the Future of Asia” at Seoul National University today.

Anwar is on a three-day official visit to South Korea to further strengthen bilateral relations between Malaysia and South Korea as both countries will be celebrating the 65th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations in 2025.

Recently, a United States-led statement approved by 10 of the 15 United Nations (UN) Security Council members condemned a recent North Korean intercontinental ballistic missile launch and called on Pyongyang to return to the negotiating table and abandon its missile programmes.