UN Security Council silence on North Korea is dangerous, says US
- The US proposed that the UN Security Council condemn North Korea’s ballistic missile launches and encourage Pyongyang to engage in diplomacy
- Linda Thomas-Greenfield, US ambassador to the UN, warned that shielding North Korea from the consequences of its missile tests puts the entire world at risk of conflict
Such statements have to be agreed by consensus. The last time the council took action on North Korea was when it adopted a resolution to strengthen sanctions in December 2017 over Pyongyang’s ballistic missile and nuclear weapons programmes.
China’s Deputy UN Ambassador Dai Bing said repeated council meetings and calls for more sanctions on North Korea “neither embodies the constructive role of easing the situation, nor brings new ideas conducive for solving the problem.”
North Korea fires ballistic missiles, warns of turning Pacific into ‘firing range’
“Exclusively pursuing and piling on sanctions will only lead to a dead end,” Dai told the council. “China genuinely hopes for stability rather than chaos on the peninsula … China calls on all parties to remain cool-headed and restrained.”
After the Security Council meeting, two-thirds of the body’s members and South Korea issued a joint statement – read by Thomas-Greenfield – condemning North Korea’s missile launches.
“We will not stay silent as the DPRK advances its unlawful nuclear and missile capabilities, threatening international peace and security,” read the statement.