SEOUL– South Korea’s parliamentary defense committee on Friday passed a resolution denouncing North Korea’s missile provocations and urging Pyongyang to refrain from what would be its seventh nuclear test.
North Korea has been ramping up its military threats, firing 81 ballistic missiles on 34 occasions in violation of an inter-Korean military tension reduction agreement signed in September 2018, as well as U.N. Security Council resolutions.
On Thursday, Pyongyang fired an intercontinental ballistic missile and two short-range missiles toward the East Sea, just a day after it launched a barrage of missiles, including one that flew across its de facto maritime border with the South for the first time since the end of the 1950-53 Korean War.
Committee members called on North Korea to immediately cease its military provocations.
“If North Korea continues with its provocations, it is certain they will bring forward the state’s international isolation and self-destruction, making it difficult for the Kim Jong-un regime to maintain its survival,” the resolution said, warning that Pyongyang should be held accountable for “all situations” to follow.
“North Korea needs to acknowledge the reality that the more it provokes, the stronger the South Korea-United States alliance will become,” urging the country to engage in dialogue for the denuclearization and peace of the Korean Peninsula.
Lawmakers instructed the government to establish a powerful security posture against North Korea’s nuclear and missile threats “in the shortest period of time” and launch all-out efforts to persuade the North to take part in talks.
Opposition leader Lee Jae-myung, however, called for a more conciliatory approach, claiming the time has come to “actively consider a special envoy to North Korea.”
“Relying heavily on a tough ‘eye-for-an-eye’ stance may seem satisfying but can bring about a bigger confrontation,” Rep. Lee of the Democratic Party said at a party response meeting. “The South, the North and the United States should refrain from behaviors that could heighten tension and immediately enter into dialogue.”
Pyongyang conducted its sixth and last nuclear test in September 2017.
Officials in Seoul have said North Korea may have completed all preparations for a nuclear test, and that it could take place as early as before the U.S. midterm elections, slated to be held next Tuesday.
Source: Yonhap News Agency