US calls for UN Security Council meeting on North Korea: Diplomats United Nations News

North Korea’s launch of the Hwasong-12 ‘central ballistic missile’ over the weekend has sparked fears and condemnation.

The United States has called on the United Nations Security Council on Thursday to hold an emergency meeting with North Korea to discuss the launch of a medium-range ballistic missile test, diplomats said.

North Korea confirm Hwasong-12 fired a “central ballistic missile” on Sunday, allowing the nuclear weapons state to resume long-range testing.

It was a launch seventh missile test North Korea made it in January and the country launched a missile of that size for the first time since 2017.

A meeting of the UN Security Council is expected to close on Thursday, and it is up to Russia in February to confirm the time.

It was Washington encouraging harsher punishments For the last missile launch against Pyongyang.

In mid-January, US President Joe Biden’s administration imposed unilateral sanctions on five North Koreans, a Russian man and a Russian company, on probation.

The United States has also proposed a UN travel ban and a freeze on assets for five of them, but China and Russia he blocked that effort It was reported to the Security Council on January 20 by diplomats at the time.

Japan and South Korea detected an alleged medium-range ballistic missile (IRBM) launch on Sunday morning, saying it was a threat to regional security.

On Tuesday, UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres also condemned the launch of the weekend and called on North Korea to “refuse to take any further counter-action.”

“This is a violation of the DPRK’s announced moratorium on such shootings in 2018, and a clear violation of Security Council resolutions,” said UN Deputy Speaker Farhan Haq, using the official name of the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea (DPRK).

“It is a matter of great concern that the RPEK has not once again taken into account any international flight or maritime security,” Haq added in a statement.

Since 2006, North Korea has been subject to UN sanctions, and the Security Council has strengthened them over the years to fund Pyongyang’s nuclear and ballistic missile programs.

The Biden administration has called on North Korea to return to denuclearization talks, which have been stalled since 2019, when a summit between North Korean leader Kim Jong Un and then-US President Donald Trump collapsed over Pyongyang’s demands for easing sanctions.

In a test on Sunday, North Korea said it fired a missile at an elevated route “taking into account the security of neighboring countries.”

The test “confirmed the accuracy, safety and operational efficiency of the Hwasong-12 weapon system produced,” the North Korean state news agency KCNA said on Monday.