The foreign ministers of China, Japan and South Korea on Wednesday jointly condemned North Korea’s latest missile launch and urged Pyongyang to stop its provocative acts and to adhere to United Nations resolutions.
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The statement also noted that the members “expressed serious concern” about a series of other tests, six of which were carried out in April, May and June in “flagrant disregard of the repeated” Security Council statements. 29, 2016, said it has no plans to introduce nuclear-powered submarines despite growing calls by lawmakers to do so following North Korea’s recent submarine-launched missile test.
It said the activities have further raised the anger of North Korean soldiers at a time when the Korean Peninsula has reached the brink of war due to last Mondays start of annual joint military drills between the US and South Korea that Pyongyang says are an invasion rehearsal.
North Korea is seeking to develop nuclear-armed missiles capable of reaching the continental U.S. Outside experts say the country doesn’t yet have such weapons.
The ballistic missile traveled about 500 kilometers (310 miles), the greatest distance achieved by North Korea for such a weapon.
They urged all United Nations member states “to redouble their efforts” to implement sanctions against Pyongyang, including the toughest measures in two decades imposed by the council in March. In March, the Security Council imposed harsh new sanctions in response to North Korea’s fourth nuclear test in January and the launch of a long-range rocket in February.
North Korean leader Kim Jong-un watches a ballistic missile launched from a submarine last Wednesday in this photo from the Rodong Sinmun daily.
The launch was immediately slammed by neighbors Japan, South Korea and China, who pledged to enhance their cooperation in dealing with Pyongyang during a meeting in Tokyo.
He said the latest submarine-launched missile didn’t cause any harm to the security of neighboring countries.
The South Korean analyst added North Korea may use the mid-range Musudan or Rodong missile for its next test.
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“I call on you to maintain a robust posture to retaliate.to make sure that any attempt by the North at engaging in any form of provocations will lead to the self-destruction of the North Korean regime”, Park told government authorities on Monday.
