“All members recognized these launches as blatant violations of Security Council resolutions and other commitments by North Korea, and they all opposed or condemned the launch in very strong terms”.
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North Korean supreme leader Kim Jong-un has called for further nuclear advancement as he oversaw a triple ballistic missile launch this week, state-run media stated Tuesday.
The council met Tuesday behind closed doors at the urgent request of the U.S., Japan and South Korea. Last month, it fired a submarine-launched ballistic missile from the northeastern port of Sinpo.
Monday’s missile launches were the latest in a series by North Korea this year in violation of Security Council resolutions that were supported by China banning ballistic missile-related activities by Pyongyang.
Meanwhile, US President Barack Obama yesterday warned North Korea it was deepening its worldwide isolation following recent missile tests that were hailed by the reclusive state’s leader as “perfect”.
On Monday, North Korea fired three Rodong-type midrange missiles off its east coast, drawing swift condemnation from the USA and other world leaders.
Seoul has announced plans to deploy a USA anti-missile system in the wake of the North’s repeated missile launches.
North Korea on September 5, 2016, fired three medium-range missiles that traveled about 1,000 kilometers (620 miles) and landed near Japan in an apparent show of force timed to coincide with the G-20 economic summit in China, South Korean officials said.
Koro Bessho, Japan’s ambassador to the United Nations, told reporters that “the council will be discussing what appropriate measures to take at an appropriate time”.
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. “But if I speak for myself, we think that it is necessary for us to consider what additional actions the council can take in unanimity, in unity, in bringing about the change in North Korean behavior”.
North Korea continues its threatening and provocative behavior in the Asia-Pacific region through its missile launches, Obama said.
“The units’ capability for fighting a real battle and the combat performance of the rockets were appreciated as flawless”, it said.
China elevated the issue on Monday, with President Xi Jinping expressing China’s opposition directly in a meeting with his South Korean counterpart Park Geun-hye.
In the statement, the Council members said they further regretted that the DPRK is diverting resources to the pursuit of ballistic missiles while it citizens have great unmet needs.
Power said there had been “numerous” voices in the council meeting calling “for doing more”.
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Melissa Hanham, an expert on North Korea’s weapons program at the Middlebury Institute of International Studies in California, said it was hard to determine so far if there had been any technical progress. This news story is related to Print/148399-North-Korea-missile-tests-deepen-isolation-Obama/ – breaking news, latest news, pakistan ne.
