MANILA, Philippines (UPDATED) – Philippine Foreign Secretary Alan Peter Cayetano met with North Korean Foreign Minister Ri Yong-Ho on North Korea’s missile tests, the Philippines said Monday, August 7.

The meeting between the Philippines and the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea (DPRK) happened on the sidelines of the 50th Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) Foreign Ministers’ Meeting and Related Meetings in Manila. 

Philippine Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) spokesman Robespierre Bolivar said that “the Philippines, as ASEAN chair, met with DPRK to formally convey the ASEAN foreign ministers’ position on the Korean Peninsula issue.” 

Cayetano told Ri on Monday, “The statement was not borne out of lost friendship but is because of frustration that there seems to be no opening for discussions or dialogue to address the impasse on the issues in the Korean Peninsula.”

“I have been tasked by my ASEAN colleagues to convey this to you personally and likewise affirm ASEAN’s commitment to engaging your country within the ASEAN Regional Forum, given the importance of this platform for our continued discussions,” Cayetano added.

Ri, on the other hand, “thanked Secretary Cayetano for conveying the sentiments of his fellow ASEAN ministers.” The North Korean official said that “he understood the ASEAN position,” as he assured Cayetano “that the message would reach Pyongyang.”

The meeting between Cayetano and Ri came after ASEAN foreign ministers on Saturday, August 5, voiced “grave concerns” over the escalation of tensions in the Korean Peninsula and the missile tests launched by North Korea. 

Also on Saturday, the United Nations Security Council unanimously backed a US-drafted resolution that significantly strengthened sanctions on North Korea, imposing a ban on exports aimed at depriving Pyongyang of $1 billion in annual revenue. 

Tension has been running high since the nuclear-armed North staged two successful intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM) tests last month, sparking global alarm over its rapidly-advancing weapons capability. – with reports from Agence France-Presse / Rappler.com