International News

UNITED NATIONS, (APP/AFP): The United States and its allies
on Wednesday pressed the UN Security Council to condemn North Korea after it test-fired a missile into Japanese-controlled waters for the first time, but they encountered resistance from China.
The 15-member council met behind closed doors for emergency talks
called by the United States, Japan and South Korea over the ballistic missile launch, the latest provocation from Pyongyang.
US Ambassador Samantha Power called for a “strong, swift response
from the Security Council” after the meeting, describing the missile test as “another grave threat to international peace and security.”
“This missile landed incredibly close to Japan,” she told reporters.
The United States was expected to circulate a draft council statement
condemning North Korea, but China’s ambassador Liu Jieyi urged caution.
“Nothing should be done to exacerbate tension on the Korean
Peninsula,” Liu said. “There is a real risk. I think we need to work responsibly.”
The council met in emergency session after North Korea fired two
intermediate-range missiles simultaneously, however one appeared to explode on takeoff.
The second missile landed in the Sea of Japan (East Sea), some 155
miles (250 kilometers) off Japan’s northern coast and within its Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ).
The launches followed a North Korean threat of “physical action” over
the planned deployment of a sophisticated US anti-missile system in South Korea, and came just weeks before the start of large-scale joint South Korea-US military exercises.
Power stressed that the US agreement with South Korea to deploy the
THAAD missile defense system was “purely defensive” and in response to North Korea’s drive to refine its capabilities.
South Korean Ambassador Oh Joon said North Korea has conducted 13
rounds of missile launches this year, test-firing 29 missiles of a variety of ranges.
Although the council has repeatedly condemned North Korea’s missile
launches, a US-drafted statement circulated last month hit a wall during
negotiations with China, Pyongyang’s closest ally.