The United Nations Security Council held a meeting today over North Korea’s latest missile launch, where member nations urged the DPRK to show restraint amid an unprecedented 63 missile launches this year.
Under-Secretary-General for Political and Peacebuilding Affairs, Rosemary DiCarlo, emphasized that “This is the tenth time the Council has met to discuss the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea in 2022, yet the situation on the Korean Peninsula continues to head in the wrong direction,” which underscores the action-reacting cycle of “repeated missile launches, confrontational rhetoric and military exercises.”
According to a UN brief, DiCarlo also stressed “The Secretary-General counts on members of this Council, as a united body as well as individually, to urge the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea to refrain from carrying out further launches using ballistic missile technology or a seventh nuclear test.”
She went on to add that North Korea’s launches pose a risk to air and maritime traffic in the region, further stating that “The Democratic People’s Republic of Korea’s continued pursuit of its nuclear weapons programme and launches of ballistic missiles blatantly violate relevant Security Council resolutions and have led to a significant escalation of tensions.”
South Korea Response
South Korea’s Representative to the UN Hwang Joonkook “condemned in the strongest terms” North Korea’s continued test launching of missiles. He stated that “It is simply appalling to witness how the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea, a United Nations Member State, can completely disregard international norms, including the United Nations Charter and the decisions of this august Council.” He also emphasized North Korean media talking about preemptive strikes against South Korea, which “undermine the global non-proliferation regime and threaten international peace and security, while neglecting the well-being of its own people amid a deteriorating humanitarian situation.”
Joonkook also brought attention to North Korea’s Foreign Ministry, which called UN Secretary-General António Guterres a “puppet of the United States” after he criticized their most recent launch. Joonkook stated that “by publicly mocking the Secretary-General as a puppet of the United States, the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea once again highlighted its categorical refusal to respect the authority of the United Nations. Pyongyang is taking advantage of the Council’s inaction and divisions to build up its nuclear arsenal. Since the Council’s failure to adopt a resolution in May, due to the opposition of two permanent members (referencing Russia and China), that country has launched 40 ballistic missiles, and promulgated a new law on nuclear weapons policy, setting the threshold for using nuclear weapons far lower than any other country. It has become increasingly aggressive and dangerous, and stands on the verge of its seventh nuclear test.”
He then called on the Council to make a robust and united response to North Korea’s launches, requested all Council members to support the swift adoption of the draft presidential statement proposed by the United States, and that all Member States fully implement all existing Security Council sanctions.
United States Response
The United States’ Representative to the UN Linda Thomas-Greenfield also “condemned in the strongest possible terms” North Korea’s recent launch, which she said demonstrates a disregard for the safety of the region and a lack of respect for the Council. She also called out Russia and China, stating that “For too long, the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea has acted with impunity, without fear of response or reprisal, emboldened by two veto-wielding members of the Council. These members’ “blatant obstructionism” endangers the lives of Japanese civilians and puts the region and the entire world at risk.” She added that “When they talk (China and Russia) about abuse of the veto, they refer to cases like this one.”
Thomas-Greenfield then went on to say that the United States will be proposing a Presidential Statement encouraging all member nations to condemn North Korea’s launches and curb what she says is “unlawful ballistic missile advancement.”
Russia Response
Russia’s Representative to the UN Anna Evstigneeva said that the Council is “trapped” in a circle of North Korea reacting to the United States and its “allies” (South Korea and Japan) holding military exercises, where the security situation has become “increasingly provocative and dangerous.” She said that North Korea’s reactions are a result of the United States’ “short-sighted confrontational military activity” and lack of “strength to facilitate détente.”
Evstigneeva called on member nations to have restraint with sanctions, as they will “threaten the citizens of the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea with socioeconomic and human upheaval.” She believes that “going forward, United Nations mechanisms, particularly the Council, should be leveraged to support inter-Korean dialogue and multilateral negotiations” and that “a draft political and humanitarian resolution, drawn up by the Russian Federation and China, remains on the table, along with other initiatives that would encourage negotiations.”
Japan Response
Japan’s Representative to the UN Kimihiro Ishikane drew attention of how the latest North Korean launches have flown over Japan’s territory and landed in their Exclusive Economic Zone, which is a “clear, unlawful escalation.” He “strongly” condemned the latest launches, saying that they “pose a grave threat to vessels, aircrafts and civilian life both in the region and in the entire world.” He also emphasized how North Korean capabilities can target most of the world now, adding that “It is outrageous to allow North Korea to take hostage the entire international community.”
He stressed that security violations cannot go unchecked and called on member nations to prevent a “nuclear North Korea” through diplomacy, “regardless of members’ bilateral relations with the country.” He also urged North Korea to “immediately comply with all relevant resolutions and engage in diplomacy toward denuclearization” as well as member nations to “take resolute action.”
China Response
China’s Representative to the UN Jun Zhang said that “all parties should remain calm and exercise restraint, act and speak with caution and avoid any action that could escalate tensions. To return to the path of dialogue, all parties should “face up to the cracks” of the longstanding stalemate on the issue and work hard to resolve their respective concerns in a balanced manner.”
He called on the United States to exercise restraint and “show sincerity, put forward realistic and feasible proposals, respond positively to the legitimate concerns of the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea and turn the dialogue from a formality to reality as soon as possible.” He argued that in order to denuclearize North Korea and ease tensions, military exercises and sanctions must end, adding that “Council deliberations should help ease the tension and leave room for diplomatic efforts rather than create obstacles to them.”
Reiterating what Russia brought forth, Zhang said “the draft resolution jointly sponsored by his country and the Russian Federation will help mitigate the humanitarian situation in the country, create an atmosphere for dialogue and promote the realization of a political settlement.”
