Status: 02/02/2022 05:57
The United States has requested an emergency UN Security Council meeting on North Korea’s missile tests, according to diplomats. The country has already conducted seven tests this year, most recently with a nuclear-capable medium-range missile.
After the North Korean missile tests, the UN Security Council will deal again with the isolated country. The United States requested an emergency meeting, diplomats in New York said. “We really hope that the Council will be able to speak with one voice,” a diplomat said, according to the AFP news agency.
It is expected that the meeting will take place behind closed doors. It is up to Russia, which will chair the Security Council in February, to confirm the date.
Test of a nuclear-capable medium-range missile
North Korea had previously confirmed the first test of a nuclear-capable intermediate-range missile since 2017. The test of a Hwasong-12 missile proved its accuracy and effectiveness for its mission, state media reported the day after the test flight. According to experts, the Hwasong-12 has a range of 4500 kilometers and could thus reach the US territory of Guam, where the US maintains a military base.
According to the South Korean military, the missile flew about 800 kilometers before crashing into the sea. According to experts, the test of a Hwasong-12 does not represent a fundamentally new threat scenario. North Korea tested such a missile several times five years ago. The current reports from North Korean media about the test indicated that it was a kind of “user test”, wrote the expert Ankit Panda on Twitter.
Guterres calls for a peaceful solution
The focus of the UN talks is likely to be the intermediate-range missile test, which saw North Korea surpass its previous six weapons tests this year. The country had previously tested short-range ballistic missiles, cruise missiles and, according to its own statements, hypersonic missiles that can fly at more than five times the speed of sound.
UN Secretary-General António Guterres denounced the recent launch as a “clear violation of Security Council resolutions”. Guterres urged North Korea to refrain from further counterproductive actions. He also called on all parties involved to seek a peaceful diplomatic solution. The Security Council last passed sanctions against North Korea in 2017.
The United Nations Security Council regularly discusses North Korea’s weapons tests and other violations of UN sanctions. The meetings behind closed doors usually remain without joint resolutions and end with statements from individual countries or groups of states.