[북, 또 미사일 발사]The ‘UN Security Council response to North Korean missiles’ ended without a conclusion

The United Nations convened the Security Council on the 5th (local time) to discuss countermeasures against the launch of an intermediate-range ballistic missile (IRBM) from North Korea, but only confirmed the reality that a joint response is becoming impossible amid the conflict between the United States and China and Russia. The United States, which led the convening of the meeting, failed even to issue a statement of condemnation at the level of the Security Council due to opposition from China and Russia.

At the Security Council’s open meeting held for the fourth time this year on North Korea’s nuclear and missile issues, the West, including the United States, strongly condemned North Korea’s successive ballistic missile launches. They also criticized China and Russia, which used their veto power on additional sanctions resolutions voted on by the United States after North Korea’s intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM) launch in May.

US Ambassador to the United Nations Linda Thomas Greenfield said, “The two permanent members of the Security Council have made Kim Jong-un’s actions possible. Hwang Jun-guk, Ambassador of the Republic of Korea to the United Nations, who was invited as an interested party, also said, “If you are a member of the Security Council, you better stick to the sanctions,” as if China and Russia had in mind to avoid sanctions on North Korea.

Representatives of China and Russia opposed it by raising the US ‘responsibility theory’. China and Russia talked about the ROK-US joint military exercise, “North Korea’s launch action took place before and after military training” (Geng Shuang, Chinese deputy head of the UN), “North Korea’s missile launch is short-sighted (like the United States) and tries to conflict. It is the result of military activities” (Deputy Ambassador to Russia Anna Evstigniva). Western members of the Security Council, South Korea and Japan only issued counter statements condemning North Korea’s successive ballistic missile launches.