UN condemns North Korea ballistic missile launches

[rooster59]

UN condemns North Korea ballistic missile launches

EDITH M. LEDERER, Associated Press


UNITED NATIONS (AP) — The U.N. Security Council on Friday condemned North Korea's latest ballistic missile launches, calling them "unacceptable," a clear violation of U.N. resolutions banning such tests, and a threat to regional and international security.

A statement from the U.N.'s most powerful body after an urgent meeting called by the United States reiterated the council's demand that North Korea comply with Security Council resolutions which prohibit all ballistic missile activity.

The council met hours after the North fired a medium-range missile from a site north of Pyongyang that flew about 800 kilometers (500 miles) before crashing into the sea off the country's east coast. The resolution also condemned the North's firing of short-range ballistic missiles into the sea on March 10, in response to new sanctions from South Korea.

North Korean leader Kim Jong Un has intensified the North's nuclear activities in defiance of U.N. sanctions since the beginning of the year — detonating its fourth nuclear test in January which it called an "H-bomb of justice," launching a long-range rocket in February and following up this month with ballistic missile launches.

Friday's launch follows Kim's recent order for tests of a nuclear warhead and ballistic missiles capable of carrying atomic warheads. And it comes during the annual South Korean-U.S. military drills which the North views as a rehearsal for an invasion and has strongly condemned.

Two weeks ago, the Security Council responded to the nuclear test and rocket launch by unanimously approving the toughest-ever sanctions against North Korea.

The council statement adopted Friday expressed "grave concern" at the North's reaction to that resolution and its demands.

The new sanctions include mandatory inspections of cargo leaving and entering North Korea by land, sea or air; a ban on all sales or transfers of small arms and light weapons to Pyongyang; and expulsion of diplomats from the North who engage in "illicit activities."

In light of the ballistic missile launches on March 18 and on March 10, the council urged all countries "to redouble their efforts" to implement those sanctions and previous measures against the North.

Before the council meeting, U.S. Ambassador Samantha Power denounced Friday's ballistic missile launch as a flagrant violation of U.N. resolutions and stressed the link between the dismal human rights situation in North Korea and "its dangerous pursuit of nuclear weapons."

She spoke at the start of a panel with four abused women who fled the country, including one whose husband sold their son to a wealthy couple "for a little money and two bars of soap." Talking about her brought the ambassador to tears.

"It is no coincidence that the North Korean government would rather grow its nuclear weapons program than grow its own children," Power said, citing reports that 25 percent of children in the country are stunted.

Japan's U.N. Ambassador Motohide Yoshikawa said North Korea took the message from the new sanctions resolution "totally wrong."

He expressed hope before the meeting that the council would unite to tell North Korea to change its policy — and that means dismantling their nuclear program and halting the use of missile technology, and using "that money to feed the people and make the life better for the North Koreans."

-- (c) Associated Press 2016-03-19

[thesetat2013]

Why doesn't the world just team up and rescue the people there by invading united and sharing responsibility for bringing those people into the world. It seems Jung doesn't care about anything except using the people's money for anything except violence. Something should be done before he has one of his fits and launches against S. Korea or another country and causes huge amounts of damage and loss of life.

[jesimps]

Why doesn't the world just team up and rescue the people there by invading united and sharing responsibility for bringing those people into the world. It seems Jung doesn't care about anything except using the people's money for anything except violence. Something should be done before he has one of his fits and launches against S. Korea or another country and causes huge amounts of damage and loss of life.

Certainly now seems that taking him out is the safest option because it looks like sooner or later he's going to press that button.

[hawker9000]

This is not going to make the America-haters, who think it's just the U.S. doing all the N, Korea sanctioning, very happy...