European Union and South Korean leaders denounced North Korea’s nuclear weapons program and continued ballistic missile launches in a joint statement on Monday, with the European Council president stressing that Pyongyang’s “back door” nuclear armament will not be accepted.

South Korean President Yoon Suk-yeol and the two EU leaders — European Council and European Commission presidents Charles Michel and Ursula von der Leyen — articulated the position following a meeting to discuss an array of economic and security issues.