While stressing that the 24 August launch of a military reconnaissance satellite by the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea posed serious risks to international civil aviation and maritime traffic and runs contrary to relevant Security Council resolutions, a senior United Nations official told Council members today that practical measures are needed to curb tensions and create space for diplomacy.
“Exercising maximum restraint is critical to avoid unintended escalation. Diplomacy and dialogue, not isolation, is the only way forward,” said Khaled Khiari, Assistant Secretary-General for Middle East, Asia and the Pacific in the Departments of Political and Peacebuilding Affairs and Peace Operations. He emphasized the importance of re-establishing communication channels — particularly between military entities — and reversing the dangerous dynamics exacerbated by Pyongyang’s recent launch.
He added that the United Nations remains concerned with the humanitarian situation in the country, which has been aggravated by climate hazards and ongoing border closures. Urging Pyongyang to allow the unimpeded re-entry and rotation of the international community — including United Nations staff — he observed: “A collective return would positively impact international support to the people of [the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea] and strengthen communication channels.”
In the ensuring discussion, many Council members condemned Pyongyang’s use of ballistic-missile technology and noted the country’s repeated violations of relevant Council resolutions, including resolution 2397 (2017). Yet, delegates also called for a return to diplomacy and a unified Council that can bring peace and stability to the region.
Brazil’s delegate, for example, recognized all countries’ right to pursue peaceful space programmes, but stressed that Pyongyang must strictly comply with its obligations under international law and Council resolutions. He urged all parties to exercise restraint when responding to space launches, stressing that engagement — not isolation — remains the best path towards a Korean Peninsula that is peaceful, stable and free from nuclear weapons.
The representative of Japan, however, said: “This is not about the right to use outer space. This is not about exercising the right of self-defence. This is about violations of Security Council resolutions.” Pointing out that the recent launch — which flew directly over Japan — threatened his country’s peace and security, he urged Council members to take concrete actions and restore the unity shown in 2017.
Conversely, China’s representative said that recent launches are linked to the military activities of certain countries. He also recalled that, while Pyongyang has previously participated in de-nuclearization activities, a concerned country failed to deliver on commitments made in that dialogue. He therefore encouraged parties to take a rational approach and ask themselves what went wrong, what should be done and what the Council can do.
The United Kingdom’s representative, warning that “the DPRK have said they will try again”, said that claims of “so-called ‘provocations’ — or, rather, legitimate and transparently declared military exercises — causing these launches are baseless”. Launches are part of a long-established, clearly defined plan that has required extensive scientific and technological investment, he emphasized, calling on the Council to act and on Pyongyang to return to dialogue.
The representative of the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea, underscoring that a satellite launch is an exercise of an independent, legitimate State right under international law, expressed alarm over the Council’s “abnormal practice” of condemning such exercise as “illegal”. Stating that his country “will never be bound” by Council resolutions, he added that Washington, D.C., and the “military gangsters” of the Republic of Korea are turning the Korean Peninsula into a potential area for an immense thermonuclear war.
In turn, the representative of the Republic of Korea observed that the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea is the only country that has conducted a nuclear test in the twenty-first century. Further, it is the only one that joined the Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons and then developed such weapons in defiance of its obligations under that instrument. “Pyongyang’s ever-growing threats are the very reason why we are strengthening extended deterrence cooperation with the US — not the other way around,” he stressed.
Gabon’s representative, meanwhile, called on the Council to mobilize in the face of the threat hovering over the Korean Peninsula and pave the way towards a solution that will break the vicious circle. “The status quo is not a viable option, because it serves to heighten the risk of a disaster with irreparable consequences,” she underscored, calling for de-escalation of tensions on the Korean Peninsula. “Trust must be rebuilt so that talks may resume,” she added.
Source: EMM/ UN