On Sunday the UN Security Council condemned North Korea’s launch of a long-range rocket that world leaders called a banned test of ballistic missile technology and another “intolerable provocation”.
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With backing from China, Pyongyang’s ally, the council again called for “significant measures” during an emergency meeting held after North Korea said it had put a satellite into orbit with a rocket launch.
Chinese Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Hua Chunying said in a statement that although China believes that North Korea should have the right to peaceful utilization of space, “at present this right is restricted by U.N. Security Council resolutions”.
Coming so soon after North Korea’s fourth nuclear test, a rocket launch would raise concern that it plans to fit nuclear warheads on its missiles.
“We will also emphasise to North Korea through diplomatic channels that such actions will only serve to isolate the country further”.
Russian Federation said Pyongyang “once again demonstrated a flagrant disregard of norms of worldwide law”.
The official statement carried by Pyongyang’s state-run media was backed up by a South Korean military official, who was quoted by local news agency Yonhap as admitting that “it’s presumed that the projectile has entered into orbit”.
“If North Korea has only nuclear weapons, that’s not that intimidating”. North Korea’s controversial rocket launch put two objects in space, according to the US Joint Space Operations Center.
North Korea said the launch of its satellite Kwangmyongsong-4, named after late leader Kim Jong Il, was a “complete success” and that it was making a polar orbit of the earth every 94 minutes.
U.S. President Barack Obama said the U.S.is consulting “for the first time” with South Korea about more missile defense capabilities to cope with North Korean threats, referring to the decision to launch official talks about putting the THAAD missile system in the South.
The National Intelligence Service(NIS) says the rocket launched by North Korea on Sunday should be viewed as a ballistic missile based on the weight of the satellite mounted on top of the rocket.
As well as North Korea, China and Russian Federation are both strongly opposed to any such deployment of the Terminal High Altitude Area Defense (THAAD) system in the region.
Speaking to reporters ahead of the closed-door session, France’s United Nations ambassador, Francois Delattre, described North Korea’s launch of a long-range rocket on Sunday as an “outrageous provocation”.
China on Sunday expressed “regret” over North Korea’s controversial satellite launch, but advised that the situation must be dealt with calmly and through sustained dialogue.
The United States and its allies believe the launch was cover for a missile test, but some experts question whether the Unha-3 can be converted into an effective intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM) capable of reaching the U.S. mainland.
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A Foreign Office spokeswoman said: “We strongly condemn North Korea’s missile launch”.
