More than half the UN Security Council on Friday condemned North Korea’s launch of a medium-range ballistic missile, warning in a joint statement that ongoing silence by the 15-member body would only embolden Pyongyang.
The eight council members — the US, the UK, France, Ireland, Norway, Brazil, Albania and the United Arab Emirates — along with Japan described Sunday’s launch as a “significant escalation” that “seeks to further destabilize the region.”
However, the key to dealing with North Korea’s ballistic missile and nuclear programs is “in the hands” of the US, Chinese Ambassador to the UN Zhang Jun (張軍) said on Friday, urging Washington to show “more sincerity and flexibility” if it wants a breakthrough.
Photo: AFP
“They should come up with more attractive and more practical, more flexible approaches, policies and actions in accommodating concerns of DPRK,” Zhang said, referring to North Korea’s formal name, the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea.
“The key in solving this issue is already in the hands of the United States,” he told reporters ahead of a closed-door UN Security Council meeting on North Korea.
The 15-member council met on Friday at the request of the US to discuss North Korea’s launch of an intermediate-range ballistic missile on Sunday last week.
Nuclear tests and ballistic missile launches by North Korea are banned by the UN Security Council. Diplomats said the US has proposed that the council issue a statement.
“Whether the Security Council should issue something or not should depend on whether it’s helpful for the de-escalation of the tensions,” Zhang said. “I do wish that all parties concerned, including council members, should stay prudent in words and actions and avoid further escalation.”
North Korea confirmed on Monday that it had launched a Hwasong-12 ballistic missile, the same weapon it had once threatened to target the US territory of Guam with, sparking fears that the nuclear-armed state might resume long-range testing.
It was the first time North Korea had tested a nuclear-capable missile of that size since 2017. Pyongyang had put nuclear weapons tests and long-range ballistic missile launches on hold while North Korean leader Kim Jong-un met with then-US president Donald Trump in Singapore in 2018 and Vietnam in 2019.
Zhang cited those meetings and the suspension of tests, asking: “What has been done by the US?”
Diplomacy with North Korea stalled after the summits between Trump and Kim, which failed to produce a deal. Pyongyang wants US and UN sanctions to be removed. There has been no easing of any measures, but China and Russia have said that the Security Council should consider such a move.
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