SEOUL, July 14 (AFP) - The United States, South Korea and Japan have jointly condemned the launch of an intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM) by North Korea, pledging to work with the international community to tighten sanctions against Pyongyang.

In a joint statement on Friday, the three allies said they would push to block North Korea’s “illicit revenue generation through overseas workers and malicious cyber activities” that they said the country uses to fund its weapons programmes.

“The United States reiterated that its commitments to defend the ROK [South Korea] and Japan are ironclad and backed by the full range of capabilities, including nuclear,” the statement said, referring to South Korea by its official name.

Earlier on Friday, US Secretary of State Antony Blinken met his Japanese and South Korean counterparts on the sidelines of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) summit in Indonesia.

North Korea – formally known as the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea (DPRK) – fired the ICBM on Wednesday, and it landed in waters between the Korean Peninsula and Japan.

It was the first such launch in three months, following heightened tensions between Pyongyang and Washington.