Mentioning UN Security Council Should Not Be Silent Regarding North Korean Missiles, US: This Is Dangerous

North Korea's ballistic missile launch. (Source: KCNA)

JAKARTA - The United States on Monday proposed that the United Nations Security Council condemn North Korea's ballistic missile launch and encourage Pyongyang to engage in diplomacy, warning that the 15-member body's failure to respond to the launch is dangerous.

China and Russia oppose further action by the Security Council, arguing that exerting further pressure on North Korea would not be constructive. The two countries vetoed a US-led push to impose more UN sanctions on North Korea in May last year.

"The reality is that those protecting the DPRK (North Korea) from the consequences of escalating missile tests are putting the Asian region and the rest of the world at risk of conflict," US Ambassador to the United Nations Linda Thomas-Greenfield said.

"The council's lack of action is worse than embarrassing. It's dangerous," he told the Security Council, and proposed that the Council adopt a formal council statement, one step short of a resolution, to condemn North Korea's actions and encourage diplomacy.

Such statements must be approved by consensus. The last time the council took action against North Korea was when it adopted a resolution to strengthen sanctions in December 2017 over Pyongyang's ballistic missile and nuclear weapons programs.

Meanwhile, China's Deputy Ambassador to the UN Dai Bing said the council's repeated meetings and calls for increased sanctions against North Korea "did not fulfill a constructive role to defuse the situation, nor bring new ideas conducive to resolving the problem."

"Chasing and piling on sanctions exclusively will only lead to a stalemate," Dai told the council.

"China really hopes for stability rather than chaos on the peninsula. China calls on all sides to remain level-headed and exercise restraint," he explained.

The Security Council met on Monday after North Korea launched two more ballistic missiles, with powerful leader Kim Jong-un's sister saying Pyongyang's use of the Pacific as a "shooting range" would depend on the behavior of US troops.

Monday's launch came just days after North Korea fired an intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM) into seas off Japan, prompting the United States to hold joint air drills with South Korea and separately with Japan on Sunday.

Following the Security Council meeting, two-thirds of the agency's members and South Korea issued a joint statement, read by Thomas-Greenfield, condemning North Korea's missile launches.

"We will not remain silent while the DPRK develops its unlawful nuclear and missile capabilities, which threaten international peace and security," the statement said.