Citing Growing Tensions on Korean Peninsula, Top Peacebuilding Official Warns Security Council Pyongyang’s Missile System ‘Can Reach Most Points on Earth’
The intercontinental ballistic missiles being developed by the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea “can reach most points on Earth”, a senior United Nations official warned today, urging Pyongyang to fully comply with its international obligations under all relevant resolutions adopted by the Security Council.
Briefing the 15-member organ, Khaled Khiari, Assistant Secretary-General for Middle East, Asia and the Pacific in the Departments of Political and Peacebuilding Affairs and Peace Operations, detailed Pyongyang’s launch on 12 July of a long-range solid-fuel intercontinental ballistic missile — a model that does not need to undergo fuelling prior to launch and thus can be launched more quickly than the liquid-fuel type.
On 31 May, the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea also attempted to launch its first military satellite using ballistic-missile technology, he reported. While it is the right of any sovereign State to launch a satellite and benefit from peaceful space activities, the relevant Council resolutions expressly prohibit Pyongyang from conducting any launches using ballistic-missile technology, he stressed.
As the seventieth anniversary of the Korean War Armistice Agreement approaches, he deplored that “it is a tragic reality that tensions persist and remain unresolved, even after seven decades”, while outlining several practical measures that can be taken, including re-establishing communication channels, particularly those between military entities to avoid an unintended escalation.
The ensuing debate revealed a deep division in the Council, with diverging views on the causes for growing tensions on the Korean Peninsula.
Japan’s representative condemned the missile launch as it “endangered vessels, exposed aircraft to great risk and terrified Japanese citizens”, and warned that the estimated capable range of the missile could exceed 15,000 kilometres. All of Asia, Europe, North America and Africa, and even part of South America would be within the range of this delivery system that could carry unlawful nuclear warheads, she warned.
Joining a chorus of such condemnation, the Republic of Korea’s delegate said Pyongyang has launched more than 90 ballistic missiles since the beginning of last year, meaning it violated the Council resolutions more than once per week. Deploring that the Council has remained silent, he warned that each launch allows that country to advance the technological development of increasingly sophisticated means of delivering nuclear warheads.
The representative of the United States called out two members of the Council, namely the Russian Federation and China, as preventing the 15-nation organ from speaking with one voice. The Council’s resultant inaction has “emboldened, even encouraged” Pyongyang to continue with their transgressions. The actions of the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea “make a mockery of the Council”, he said.
Rejecting claims against his country, the speaker from the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea said that his country’s launch of its “Hwasongpho-18” missile was in exercise of its right to self-defence to deter dangerous military moves by hostile forces. Today’s meeting is a “a contradictory act that denies the fundamental principles of sovereign equality and non-interference in internal affairs”, he stressed.
Voicing alarm over the United States’ dispatch of a nuclear submarine to the Republic of Korea and its “aerial espionage acts” in his country, he asked: “How can the deployment of nuclear assets, joint military exercises and aerial espionage acts by the United States contribute to peace and stability on the Korean Peninsula?” The Council should take one of two options: to refrain from obstructing his country’s right to self-defence, or to denounce and deter the United States’ “anti-peace behaviour”.
China’s representative said the United States and other countries that have long regarded Pyongyang as a security threat are obsessed with sanctions and pressurization. This, in turn, has put the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea under an enormous security threat, while that country’s legitimate security concerns have never been addressed, he said, calling for dialogue towards a political settlement.
The Russian Federation’s delegate said that, while the United States, Republic of Korea and Japan continue to increase the scale of their regional exercises and their military cooperation, some Council members attempt to put that factor aside. Most recent events underscore the need for an immediate de-escalation, she said, drawing attention to the Russian Federation-China plan of action for a comprehensive settlement on the Korean Peninsula.
Several Council members expressed grave concern over the dire humanitarian and human rights situations in the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea, with Malta’s representative stating that serious humanitarian needs continue to be ignored by Pyongyang’s leadership, which instead chooses to allocate its resources to costly ballistic-missile launches and its illegal weapons programme. The speaker for Albania pointed out that Pyongyang is gravely violating the Convention on the Rights of the Child through ordering children to collect scrap metal that can be used in weapons manufacturing, calling on the Council to react against such militarization of children.
The speaker from the United Arab Emirates, recalling that, in the past, the Council’s unity prevailed on this file and served to send a clear message that the Council would not allow nuclear proliferation by Pyongyang, urged a return to such unity.
The meeting began at 5:10 p.m. and ended at 6:44 p.m.
Briefing
KHALED KHIARI, Assistant Secretary-General for Middle East, Asia and the Pacific in the United Nations Departments of Political and Peacebuilding Affairs and Peace Operations, said the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea launched its Hwasong-18 intercontinental ballistic missile on 12 July, its second firing of its new solid-fuel type, which does not need to undergo fuelling prior to launch and thus can be launched more quickly than the liquid-fuel type. The missile is reported to have flown for 1,001.2 kilometres to an altitude of 6,648.4 kilometres before falling into the sea, inside the Russian Federation’s exclusive economic zone. The flight was reportedly around 74 minutes, potentially making it the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea’s longest ballistic missile flight duration. The systems Pyongyang tested on 12 July, 13 April, 16 March, 18 February this year, as well as on five occasions last year, “can reach most points on Earth”, he said.
The Democratic People’s Republic of Korea did not issue airspace or maritime safety notifications for this launch, he noted, cautioning that the unannounced launches represent a serious risk to international civil aviation and maritime traffic. He then called on Pyongyang to fully comply with its international obligations under all relevant Security Council resolutions and resume dialogue without preconditions towards sustainable peace and the complete and verifiable denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula. The Democratic People’s Republic of Korea significantly increased its missile launch activities in 2022 and 2023, including more than 90 launches using ballistic-missile technology. It also attempted to launch its first military satellite with what it described as a “new-type carrier rocket” using ballistic-missile technology on 31 May. While it is the right of any sovereign State to launch a satellite and benefit from peaceful space activities, the relevant Council resolutions expressly prohibit Pyongyang from conducting any launches using ballistic-missile technology.
Welcoming the Council’s commitment, as expressed in resolution 2397 (2017), to a peaceful, comprehensive, diplomatic and political solution to the situation on the Korean Peninsula, he pointed out that the lack of unity and action in the Council does little to slow the negative trajectory. In a fortnight, the seventieth anniversary of the Korean War Armistice Agreement will be observed. “It is a tragic reality that tensions persist and remain unresolved even after seven decades,” he said, outlining several practical measures that can be taken, including re-establishing communication channels, particularly those between military entities to avoid an unintended escalation. Turning to the humanitarian situation in that country, he expressed the United Nations’ readiness to assist Pyongyang in addressing basic needs of its vulnerable populations. Given that COVID-19 is no longer a public health emergency, he urged the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea to allow the unimpeded re-entry and rotation of the international community, including United Nations staff and the United Nations Resident Coordinator.
Statements
JEFFREY DELAURENTIS (United States) condemned in the strongest possible terms the 12 July launch of an intercontinental ballistic-missile launch, which is alarming — although “hardly surprising” — given the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea’s launch of as many as 20 ballistic missiles in 2023, including 4 intercontinental ones, in violation of multiple Security Council resolutions. He voiced alarm over these tests of nuclear-weapon delivery systems, following threatening statements against United States aircrafts operating in international airspace. Against this backdrop, he underscored the urgent need for the Council to unite to counter nuclear proliferation, as it did in 2017, when the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea last participated in a briefing.
However, today, two members of the Council — the Russian Federation and China — are preventing the 15-nation organ from speaking with one voice, he added, observing that the Council’s resultant inaction has “emboldened, even encouraged” Pyongyang to continue with their transgressions. The actions of the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea “make a mockery of the Council”, he said, urging that country to engage in dialogue with no preconditions. Calling the status quo “untenable”, he called on all Council members to denounce Pyongyang’s unlawful behaviour and implement all relevant resolutions.
NICOLAS DE RIVIÈRE (France), noting that the Council has remained disunited in silence, said it cannot resign itself to inaction. The Democratic People’s Republic of Korea has launched 20 ballistic missiles in 2023. This is a flagrant violation of numerous Council resolutions, he stressed, voicing concern about the escalation in the last few weeks and Pyongyang declaring itself as an irreversible nuclear Power. “Doing nothing or being complacent with North Korea is tantamount to trivializing nuclear proliferation,” he stressed, adding that France will not resign itself to that country becoming a nuclear State. To halt the escalation, all unanimously adopted international sanctions must be fully applied and all forms of circumvention must be combated, including in the cyber- and maritime spheres. In the face of those provocations, the priority is to resume dialogue without preconditions, so that Pyongyang abandons its programme in a complete, verifiable and irreversible manner, he said.
ALBANA DAUTLLARI (Albania) said Pyongyang is gravely violating the Convention on the Rights of the Child through ordering children to collect scrap metal that can be used in weapons manufacturing. Deploring militarization of children by the regime, she called on the Council to react against such policies. As de-escalation measures, she called on the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea to reinstate the moratorium on launches of intercontinental ballistic missiles, which was abolished last year, stop cyberattacks and destabilizing actions, respect fundamental human rights through the implementations of the conventions that Pyongyang has ratified, and refrain from conducting a seventh nuclear test.
SHINO MITSUKO (Japan) expressed her greatest regret that the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea launched yet another intercontinental ballistic missile, which is estimated to have landed in waters near Japan, just 250 kilometres from Hokkaido. It endangered vessels, exposed aircraft to great risk, and terrified Japanese citizens. Calculations based on the flight trajectory indicate that the estimated capable range of the missile could exceed 15,000 kilometres, meaning all of Asia, Europe, North America and Africa and even part of South America would be within the range of this delivery system that could carry unlawful nuclear warheads.
The Council unanimously adopted resolution 2397 (2017), the most recent resolution adopted in the face of threats posed by Pyongyang, in which, the 15‑member organ decided to act if that country were to launch an intercontinental ballistic missile or conduct a nuclear test, he noted. Asking how many such missiles have been launched without the Council taking any action, she urged Pyongyang to immediately and fully comply with all relevant resolutions and resume substantive dialogue with the countries concerned toward complete denuclearization. “The path to dialogue remains open,” she emphasized.
DARREN CAMILLERI (Malta) expressed deep concerned over the dire humanitarian situation in the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea. The World Food Programme (WFP) estimates that 10.7 million people are undernourished and in need of emergency relief. However, these serious humanitarian needs continue to be ignored by Pyongyang’s leadership, which instead chooses to allocate its resources to costly ballistic-missile launches and its illegal weapons programme. It also continues to restrict humanitarian access, he said, calling on that country to restore access to the United Nations and other humanitarian actors to provide its population with the aid it requires. Reminding the Council of the shared objective, which is peace and denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula, he stressed the need for unity and action, as divisions and delays would only push it further out of reach. In this regard, his delegation supports a Council product.
JAMES KARIUKI (United Kingdom), Council President for July, speaking in his national capacity, condemned Pyongyang’s launch of yet another intercontinental ballistic missile, the twelfth since the start of 2022. It came in the wake of a failed military reconnaissance satellite launch on 31 May. The Democratic People's Republic of Korea’s actions violate multiple Council resolutions and demonstrate flagrant disregard for the international nuclear non-proliferation regime. “We must be firm and united in our response to these violations,” he said, calling on Pyongyang to abandon its illegal nuclear- and ballistic-weapons programmes, which are impoverishing its people and destabilizing the region, and return to compliance with the Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons. It must sign and ratify the Comprehensive Nuclear-Test-Ban Treaty and take up repeated and unconditional offers of dialogue. Allowing diplomats and non-governmental organizations back into the country is an important part of this process. “Diplomacy is the only route to making progress towards a sustainable peace on the Peninsula,” he said.
LILLY STELLA NGYEMA NDONG (Gabon) voiced concern over the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea’s clear intention to continue with its ballistic-missile launches, noting that such launches have proved, over several months, to be increasingly more powerful, as well as more regular. Such an uptick in missile-launch activity threatens to inch closer to “a point of no return”, she said, also voicing concern over the heightened rhetoric accompanying such activity, which stokes tensions. She underlined the need for trust to be restored for the resumption of negotiations. Gabon condemns yet another act that constitutes a violation of international law, and calls for de-escalation and restraint, she said.
RICCARDA CHRISTIANA CHANDA (Switzerland) condemned the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea’s fourth launch of an intercontinental ballistic missile this year, voicing concern about the risk of escalation inherent in such an act. The Council must assume its responsibilities, she stressed, underlining that these launches are in violation of legally binding Council resolutions and therefore of international law. While the obligations arising from these texts apply primarily to Pyongyang, “they also apply to all other States, which are required to implement the Security Council sanctions effectively”, she said. Underscoring that such measures must not adversely affect humanitarian aid, she voiced hope that the heavy pandemic‑related restrictions put in place by the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea will soon be lifted. Turning to dialogue, de-escalation and diplomacy, she welcomed the call for the Secretary-General's good offices and encouraged Pyongyang to engage constructively with the Council and the United Nations system.
ZHANG JUN (China), noting Pyongyang’s recent launch, voiced concern about heightened military pressure and repeated dispatches of strategic weapons by a certain country to carry out military activities on the Korean Peninsula. None of these incidents happened in isolation, he pointed out, warning that, should the vicious cycle persist, the Peninsula question will further escalate. As a legacy of the cold war, the issue drags on and its crux lies in the absence of a peace mechanism, he said, noting that the United States and other countries that have long regarded Pyongyang as a security threat are obsessed with sanctions and pressurization. This, in turn, has put the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea under an enormous security threat, while its legitimate security concerns have never been addressed. Dialogue and negotiation are the only correct and effective way to ease tensions in the Peninsula and promote a political settlement, he stressed.
MOHAMED ISSA ABUSHAHAB (United Arab Emirates) expressed his country’s solidarity with the people of the Republic of Korea and Japan in the threat they face, stressing that civilians anywhere in the world, including within the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea itself, should not be subjected to any arbitrary threats. The seventieth anniversary of the Korean Armistice is a sobering reminder that sustainable peace in the Korean Peninsula remains elusive. All parties must double down on diplomatic efforts and dialogue to bring about stability and prosperity, he said. In the past, the Council’s unity prevailed on this file and served to send a clear message that the Council would not allow nuclear proliferation by Pyongyang. His country will continue to encourage a return to this unity so that the Council can fulfil its responsibility to support the work towards peace and security in the Korean Peninsula, he stressed.
HAROLD ADLAI AGYEMAN (Ghana), observing that today’s meeting marked the first time since 2017, that a representative of the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea was present in the Council when this topic was being addressed, voiced hope that this will facilitate efforts of the 15-nation organ to ensure a peaceful Korean Peninsula. He deplored the recent launch of an intercontinental ballistic missile by the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea, which took place against the backdrop of heightened tensions in the region, and came on the heels of several other launches, all in contravention of Council resolutions. He called on Pyongyang to adhere to its international obligations and refrain from further ballistic-missile launches. He called for immediate steps to deescalate tensions, and for progress towards building dialogue and constructive engagement with the Pyongyang and other major parties on the former’s nuclear weapons programme.
HERNÁN PÉREZ LOOSE (Ecuador) once again condemned the recent second launch this year of a solid-fuel intercontinental ballistic missile by Pyongyang, which follows dozens of previous launches. This is not an isolated event and once again defies the Council’s provisions, while undermining the international disarmament and non-proliferation architecture, he stressed. He recalled that with the unanimous adoption of resolution 2397 (2017), the Council expressed its determination to take new and significant measures in response to any further launches by that country. If the Council’s response is slow in coming, it could be consolidating an unacceptable exception for the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea, he warned. Voicing support for all efforts to achieve a diplomatic and political solution for the irreversible denuclearization of the Peninsula, he appealed for greater cooperation and dialogue in good faith, and called on Pyongyang to fully comply with its obligations under international law, the Charter of the United Nations and the Council’s resolutions.
SÉRGIO FRANÇA DANESE (Brazil) condemned the launch on 11 July of an intercontinental ballistic missile by the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea in violation of relevant resolutions of the Council, endangering maritime safety and neighbouring populations. If reports are correct, the recent missile launch implies further progress made by the country in Pyongyang’s nuclear capabilities, he added. Against this backdrop, he called on the Council to face the “harsh reality” that its present approach on the issue has not worked. He voiced disappointment over the polarized discussions around “a false choice: new rounds of sanctions, or remaining silent to avoid provoking Democratic People’s Republic of Korea”. He therefore called on the Council to take a new approach to the issue, by helping rebuild trust to open a window for diplomatic engagement, voicing hope that the presence of Pyongyang’s representative after a long hiatus is a positive sign to this end.
ANNA M. EVSTIGNEEVA (Russian Federation) said her country has consistently opposed any military activity which would threaten the security of the Peninsula and the countries of North-East Asia. This meeting was convened by the United States, Albania, France, Japan, Malta and the United Kingdom regarding a missile launch, she pointed out, drawing attention to the actions of the United States, Republic of Korea and Japan who continue to increase the scale of their regional exercises and their military cooperation. For some reason, some Council members attempt to put that factor aside, although it provides context for what is going on, she pointed out. Most recent events underscore the need for an immediate de-escalation and renouncing provocations and returning to negotiations. She drew attention to the Russian Federation-China plan of action for a comprehensive settlement on the Korean Peninsula, noting that its implementation will require mutually respectful dialogue and taking into account the legitimate interests of all States involved.
MARTINS MARIANO KUMANGA (Mozambique) said that the Korean Peninsula, like the world at large, deserves peace, security and stability. For that to be achieved, all the stakeholders must refrain from taking unilateral actions that can endanger stability in region. In this context, his country demands full compliance, by all parties, with Council resolutions on the Korean Peninsula issue. Humankind lives in an era, threatened by the proliferation of weapons of mass destruction. “We need, all of us, to take into our hands the heavy responsibility of keeping and cherishing the peace,” he said. “This is a tall order that derives from the Charter.” He then called for dialogue and negotiated solutions for the maintenance of international peace and security.
KIM SONG (Democratic People’s Republic of Korea), asserting that exercise of the right to self-defence is “a legitimate right of a sovereign State which nobody can deny as it is recognized under the United Nations Charter and international law”, stated that his country’s test-fire of a new type of intercontinental ballistic missile had no negative effect on the security of neighbouring countries. “Japan announced that our missile landed outside its Exclusive Economic Zone, which is tantamount to Japan’s acknowledgement that no risk was posed to its security,” he added. Given that his country’s launch of its “Hwasongpho-18” missile was in exercise of its right to self-defence to deter dangerous military moves by hostile forces, the present briefing is “a contradictory act that denies the fundamental principles of sovereign equality and non-interference in internal affairs”, he stressed.
Therefore, he rejected the briefing convened by the United States, whose military provocations against his country were growing. He took issue with various actions by Washington, D.C., including its “cooked-up” Washington Declaration, which he characterized as “a platform for a nuclear showdown” with Pyongyang, as well as a planned meeting of its “Nuclear Consultative Group” with the Republic of Korea. He also voiced alarm over the United States’ dispatch of a nuclear submarine to the Republic of Korea, and its “aerial espionage acts” in his country, calling such actions provocations of an aggressive nature which push the region towards an armed conflict. “How can the deployment of nuclear assets, joint military exercises and aerial espionage acts by the United States contribute to peace and stability on the Korean Peninsula?”, he asked. If the latter’s “military arbitrariness” lead to a disaster like a nuclear war, can the Council bear the responsibility for such a situation? “If not,” he added, the Council should take one of two options: to refrain from obstructing his country’s right to self-defence, or to denounce and deter the United States’ “anti-peace behaviour”.
JOONKOOK HWANG (Republic of Korea) said that, since the beginning of last year, the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea has launched more than 90 ballistic missiles, including 13 long-range ones, which means Pyongyang has violated the Council resolutions more than once per week. Deploring that the Council has remained silent, he warned that each launch allows that country to advance the technological development of increasingly sophisticated means of delivering nuclear warheads. The Council has been paralysed since it failed to adopt a resolution against the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea’s missile launch in May 2022. No individuals or entities have been newly designated on the 1718 Sanctions List during the last five years. It is deeply troubling that the Council meets repeatedly without any concrete result, he said, while Pyongyang profits massively by continuing to evade sanctions and exploit key loopholes through malicious cyberactivities, overseas laborers and illicit ship-to-ship transfers of refined petroleum products and coal.
Rejecting a false equivalency between the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea’s unlawful provocations and the long-standing, joint defensive military exercises by the United States and the Republic of Korea, he said Pyongyang is the one that continually reinforces its hostile policy. Its reckless pursuit of a growing nuclear arsenal and its gross and systematic human rights abuses are indeed two sides of the same coin, he said, urging the Council to revive its public meetings on that country’s human rights situation. This year marks the seventieth anniversary of the Korean Armistice Agreement, which resulted from the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea’s invasion against its southern neighbor in 1950. It is simply appalling to witness how Pyongyang has consistently threatened the peace and stability of the Korean Peninsula, and the region, and beyond. “The door for dialogue remains wide open,” he said, urging the neighbouring State to immediately cease its destabilizing actions.