While it only managed a rather muted expression of “regret” over the North’s rocket launch, it was quick to voice its “deep concern” at the prospect of South Korea introducing the U.S. missile system.
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“We demand the countries concerned be prudent”, Hua said.
In a development that will worry both North Korea and China, a senior South Korean Defense Ministry official, Yoo Jeh Seung, told reporters that Seoul and Washington have agreed to begin talks on a possible deployment of the THADD missile defense system in South Korea.
In a reflection of heightened hostilities between the rival Koreas, South Korea’s Defense Ministry said a South Korean naval vessel fired five shots into the water as a warning Monday when a North Korean patrol boat briefly moved south of the countries’ disputed boundary line in the Yellow Sea.
“As to whether or not it achieved North Korea’s goals, you can ask the North Koreans, but there’s nothing about this test that surprises us, and so in that sense, again, it’s consistent with what we’ve seen previously from the North Koreans”, he said. Experts say that ballistic missiles and rockets in satellite launches share similar bodies, engines and other technology.
According to experts, North Korea has at least a dozen and perhaps as many as 100 nuclear weapons, though at present it lacks sophisticated delivery mechanisms.
The Council members restated their intent to develop significant measures in a new resolution in response to North Korea’s nuclear test on January 6.
A South Korean lawmaker said Sunday that intelligence suggested the launch had likely been timed to coincide with the Super Bowl and Chinese New Year to maximize global media impact.
“This launch, coupled with the recent nuclear test, indicates further advances in the technology necessary to improving North Korea’s capability to strike the continental United States, Alaska or Hawaii”, Todorov said.
That payload has also been tumbling since its launch and no transmission signals have ever been detected coming from the satellite despite North Korean claims to the contrary.
The White House condemned the missile launch, calling it a “flagrant violation” of U.N. Security Council resolutions, and reaffirming its commitment to the defense of its allies and calling for serious consequences to the communist nation.
For some time, the USA has been nudging its close ally South Korea toward allowing the deployment of the Terminal High-Altitude Area Defense, or THAAD, missile defense system on its soil.
“We have made clear that China can do more and needs to do more”.
“But if anything, it would be China’s implementation of existing sanctions that would tighten the screws on North Korea”.
On Tuesday, the South Korean government said President Park Geun-hye had an “in-depth” phone discussion with U.S. President Obama.
The US is leading a drive to exert military pressure on North Korea in response to Pyongyang’s satellite launch which could escalate regional tension.
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“THAAD is partly about the US reassuring South Korea that it has its back, but at the same time there must be a broader picture discussion with China about how to handle North Korea”, he added.
