On Sunday, the North launched a rocket carrying the Kwangmyongsong-4 satellite, but the outside world views it as a cover for testing the country’s intercontinental ballistic missile technology.
Advertisement
The members of the Security Council held urgent consultations to address the serious situation arising from the launch using ballistic missile technology conducted by the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea (DPRK) on February 7, 2016.
South Korean President Park Geun-hye has called for heightened vigilance against any further provocation following the launch and North Korea’s fourth nuclear test last month.
A senior U.S. official said on Monday that China agreed any new United Nations resolution on North Korea would include additional sanctions and go beyond previous steps, but Washington was urging Beijing to put even more pressure on Pyongyang.
“With respect to North Korea and what we should do now, one of the first things we should do is expand our missile defense capacity”.
The launch sparked unanimous condemnation from the UN Security Council and came weeks after Pyongyang claimed to have successfully tested a hydrogen bomb.
“South Korea is a treaty ally of the United States and we take those obligations quite seriously”, he said. But Pyongyang vowed to launch more satellites into space.
North Korea said it launched a satellite for peaceful purposes, but the US and allies say it was a ballistic missile test that threatens the USA and ally South Korea.
Hopefully this isn’t the beginning of a trend of threats from North Korea on global safety and peace.
Also broadcast by KRT was footage of North Koreans watching the 10-minute-long fireworks display at Kim Il Sung square but their leader Kim Jong Un was not seen at the event.
USA officials have previously said rockets similar to the one North Korea launched Sunday could be used to deliver a nuclear warhead. “We don’t believe it should pose any sort of concern to the Chinese”.
Following the meeting, Hugo Swire said North Korea’s actions “continue to present a threat to regional and global security”.
Advertisement
However this incident underscores the heightened tensions between the two nations following the North’s launch of a long-range rocket on Sunday, reported the AFP.
