Vice President Jejomar Binay has assured that the Philippine embassy in Seoul is ready for the “worst case scenario” should North Korea pushes its satellite launch plan next month.
In a statement, Binay told leaders of the Filipino community in Seoul that the embassy has a contingency plan in case tensions in the Korean peninsula escalate into a full blown conflict.
“We do not want to speculate on the effects of the launch. However, we will be directing the local government who could be affected to be prepared for any eventuality,” Binay said.
The vice president said he is hoping that North Korea complies with the United Nations resolution which calls for the “abandonment of its ballistic missile program in a complete, verifiable and irreversible manner.”
Binay, who is the presidential adviser on overseas Filipino workers’ concerns, further asked the 50,000 Filipinos in South Korea to continue praying that the tensions won’t escalate.
The Department of Foreign Affairs earlier issued a statement calling North Korea’s planned satellite launch “unacceptable.”
North Korea, however, said it would go ahead with its plan and promised “counter-measures” against those who will oppose the operation.
