“The ongoing development of North Korea’s nuclear and missile programs… is a clear violation of the UN Security Council resolutions”.
Advertisement
On September 5, the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea (DPRK) fired three ballistic missiles into the Sea of Japan. The statement’s adoption means that even China and Russian Federation have agreed to condemn the launches.
Obama also said the USA was still open to the possibility of talks with North Korea if it were to recognize its global obligations and work to denuclearize the Korean Peninsula.
The UN has adopted five rounds of crippling sanctions on the North since it first tested an atomic device in 2006 despite the nation’s critical situation, including its worsening starvation.
Park said Pyongyang’s “continued missile launches are fundamentally threatening the security of both the Korean peninsula and Northeast Asia” and a “strong deterrence posture” is needed that includes the “deployment of the THAAD system”.
The press statement 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. It also said the council will continue to closely monitor the situation and take “further significant measures in line with the Council’s previously expressed determination”.
A month later, Pyongyang launched a long-range rocket which it said placed an earth observation satellite into orbit.
Earlier in the day, Japan’s United Nations ambassador, Koro Bessho, said the council showed “much stronger” unity.
“We do not have any interest in an offensive approach to North Korea”, Obama said. “They all opposed and condemned the launch in very strong terms”, Bessho told reporters after the meeting.
North Korea’s regular nuclear tests are a clear violation of the UN Security Council’s resolutions and this needs to stop, Ban’s spokesman said.
“The Security Council must remain unequivocal and united in condemnation of this test and we must take action to enforce the words we put on paper, to enforce our resolutions”, she said, calling for stringent implementation of U.N. sanctions.
An emergency meeting of the United Nations Security Council (UNSC) was held on Tuesday in NY in response to North Korea’s decision to fire three ballistic missiles into Japanese waters at the beginning of the week.
The tests not only threaten Japan’s national security but the region and beyond, he said, stressing that the missiles were launched without any prior notification and could have hit planes or ships.
“They were trying to show that they can defeat the missile defense systems”, he said.
Despite the heavy sanctions, North Korea says the programs are justified because of the threat posed by the US and South Korea.
Advertisement
The South Korean Foreign Ministry also announced Tuesday that top USA and South Korean nuclear negotiators will hold talks in Seoul next week to discuss North Korea’s “repeated military provocations”.
