North Korea test-fired three missiles into the sea Monday, Seoul said, in a new show of force as world leaders met for the G20 summit in China.
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The 15-member council issued the toughly-worded condemnation in a unanimous statement drafted by the United States and backed by China, Pyongyang’s main ally.
Those calls were set to intensify later on Tuesday when the 15-member UN Security Council convenes in NY to consider a response to the latest in a series of tests, which has also included the detonation of a nuclear bomb in January.
Ties between South Korea and China have been frosty since Seoul announced its plan to deploy a USA anti-missile system in July to counter growing nuclear and missile threats from the North.
Chinese state media went so far last month as to warn that in case of a clash with the U.S., South Korea would be the “first military target”. That has fueled concerns of an economic backlash in South Korea, which is heavily dependent on exporting goods to China.
A South Korean Defense Ministry spokesman stated that the “missile launch is a direct violation of UN Security Council resolutions, aimed at showing off its nuclear and missile capabilities during the G20 summit”.
During the meeting, Xi reaffirmed China’s commitment to realizing the denuclearization of the Korean peninsula, China’s state news agency Xinhua reported on Monday.
South Korean President Park Geun-Hye was seen meeting with Chinese President Xi Jinping during the G-20 summit meeting and spokespeople afterwards commented that the Pyongyang’s actions were discussed.
South Korea’s Yonhap news agency says it is unknown what type of missiles were fired, and how far they traveled. The Chinese position has been consistent and clear. “At the moment, the situation on the (Korean) peninsula is quite complex and sensitive”, Hua said. With North Korea’s missile technology seemingly getting better by the day, the Communist country’s threats might become legitimate sooner than expected. Mr. Kim has vowed to continue pouring the country’s limited resources into its nuclear weapons program. The three missiles flew about 1,000 km and fell about 200 km to 250 km west of Okushiri Island off the western coast of Hokkaido.
“We will raise our concerns at the United Nations about the threat posed to worldwide security by these programs”, he continued.
“This is Pyongyang’s way of reminding everyone of their existence at a moment when all parties are together, in a typically defiant, North Korean way”, John Delury, assistant professor at Yonsei University in South Korea told CNN.
The United States condemned what it described as the “reckless” launches.
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Carol E. Lee in Hangzhou, China, Chieko Tsuneoka in Tokyo and Chuin-Wei Yap in Beijing contributed to this article.
