United Nations (United States) (AFP) – The United States and Japan on Wednesday called for urgent talks at the UN Security Council after North Korea test-fired a submarine-launched missile, diplomats said.
North Korea is barred under UN resolutions from any use of ballistic-missile technology, but Pyongyang has carried out several launches following its fourth nuclear test in January.
Diplomats said they expected the council to discuss the latest missile launch later Wednesday.
South Korea’s military said the missile, launched in the early morning from a submarine in the East Sea (Sea of Japan), flew about 500 kilometers (310 miles) — a substantial improvement on similar tests in the past.
Japan Prime Minister Shinzo Abe said the missile breached his country’s Air Defense Identification Zone (ADIZ) and condemned what he called an “unforgivable, reckless act” and a grave threat to Japan’s security.
Earlier this month, North Korea fired a land-launched ballistic missile directly into Japanese-controlled waters for the first time, drawing an outraged response from Tokyo.
But the council failed to condemn that August 2 launch after China sought to include language in a statement opposing the THAAD missile defense system that the United States plans to deploy in South Korea.
China’s Ambassador Liu Jieyi on Tuesday took a swipe at the United States and its allies when he stressed the need to “avoid any action that is provocative to each other and may escalate tensions” on the Korean peninsula.
Japan is calling on all UN member-states to redouble their efforts to fully implement a resolution adopted in March that imposed the toughest sanctions yet on North Korea.
North Korea has been hit by five sets of UN sanctions since it first tested a nuclear device in 2006.
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