US Urges North Korea To Prioritize The Welfare Of Its Citizens, Not Weapons Of Mass Destruction And Ballistic Missiles

Illustration of a North Korean missile test. (Source: KCNA)

JAKARTA - The United States asked North Korea on Monday to abandon its nuclear and ballistic missile programs, prioritizing the needs of its own people, with Russia and China blaming sanctions for worsening the humanitarian situation in the country.

Russia put sanctions under the spotlight on the UN Security Council as part of its presidency, out of the 15-member body during February. However, Russia's UN Ambassador Vassily Nebenzia was unable to chair the meeting because he tested positive for COVID-19, diplomats said.

"We call on the DPRK to demonstrate a commitment to the welfare of its own people by respecting human rights, eliminating its unlawful WMD (weapons of mass destruction) and ballistic missile programs, and prioritizing the needs of its own people, the vulnerable North Koreans," the US Ambassador to the United States said. UN Linda Thomas-Greenfield, citing Reuters February 8.

The official name of North Korea is the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK). The country has been under UN sanctions since 2006 over its nuclear and ballistic missile programs.

In November, Russia and China revived a 2019 push to ease UN sanctions on North Korea, in what they described as an attempt to improve the humanitarian situation. The move has received little support or engagement among council members, so China and Russia are yet to vote.

"If the council is thinking about ordinary Koreans and not just geopolitics, then this proposal needs support," Russia's Deputy UN Ambassador Dmitry Polyanskiy told the council.

"We firmly believe that the Security Council's sanctions apparatus requires a strong dose of humanization," he continued.

North Korea's humanitarian situation "continues to deteriorate," according to excerpts from a classified UN report seen Saturday by Reuters. The report said that was probably mainly due to Pyongyang's COVID-19 blockade.

To note, Russia and China also used a council meeting on Monday to condemn the unilateral sanctions, without naming names. China's UN Ambassador Zhang Jun said of such countries: "They have thrown them left, right and center in a frenzy, so much so that they seem to be addicted."