UN: heated debates around North Korea’s satellite and missile launches

The United States, South Korea and Japan clashed with China and Russia on Friday over North Korea’s latest satellite and ballistic missile launches and its threats to use nuclear weapons , which increased tension in Northeast Asia.

The scene unfolded during an emergency open meeting of the UN Security Council, called after the failed launch of a military reconnaissance satellite on May 27 and other launches using ballistic missile technology , in violation of UN sanctions.

Since the start of 2022, Pyongyang has launched more than 100 missiles using this banned technology, while advancing its nuclear weapons program. In response, the United States and its allies have increased military exercises.

UN Under-Secretary-General Khaled Khiari told the Council meeting that sovereign states have the right to benefit from peaceful space activities, but North Korea is expressly prohibited from carrying out launches using ballistic missile technology and its continued violations undermine global nuclear disarmament and non-proliferation treaties.

“We remain deeply concerned about the growing tensions on the Korean Peninsula”said Mr. Khiari. “It is necessary to take practical steps to reduce tensions, reverse dangerous dynamics and create space to explore diplomatic avenues.”

North Korean Ambassador to the UN Kim Song insisted the launches are “the legitimate and universal right of a sovereign State” under international law and the Outer Space Treaty. He stressed that reconnaissance satellites are necessary not only to strengthen the country’s self-defense capabilities, but also to defend its sovereignty.

South Korean Ambassador to the UN Joonkook Hwang said North Korea’s nuclear policy and rhetoric “become more and more aggressive and hostile” and that Pyongyang no longer considers its nuclear arsenal as a simple deterrent weapon against the United States, “but rather as a means of attacking my country.”

Deputy US Ambassador Robert Wood urged the Security Council to condemn North Korea’s launches and hold it accountable for violating UN sanctions.

“But two Council members, China and Russia, continually prevent the Security Council from speaking with one voice against North Korea’s behavior, making us all less safe.”did he declare.

Russian Ambassador to the UN, Anna Evstigneeva, responded that “one of the main catalysts for growing tensions in the region has been and remains the intensification of military activity by the United States and its allies.”

Chinese Ambassador to the UN Fu Cong called the situation on the Korean peninsula a “very tense, with escalating antagonism and confrontation”and called on all parties to exercise restraint and avoid any actions or rhetoric that could increase tensions.