G7 Strongly Condemns North Korea's ICBM... Choe Son-hui Issues 'Response Statement' After Four Days

Urging China and Russia to Act Ahead of UNSC Open Meeting
North Korea Challenges UN Discussions' Legitimacy... Potential for Further Provocations

United Nations Security Council (UNSC) meeting room view [Image source=Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy Reporters Inho Yoo and Heejun Jang] The Group of Seven (G7) strongly condemned North Korea's intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM) test launch and urged the United Nations Security Council to take "additional significant measures." North Korea responded with a "blame statement" challenging the legitimacy of discussions at the UN level, leaving room for further provocations.

Two days after North Korea's ICBM launch, on the 20th (local time), the G7 foreign ministers issued a statement demanding "a united and resolute response from the international community, including additional significant measures by the UN Security Council," and called on "all countries to fully and effectively implement UN Security Council measures and sanctions against North Korea and to treat the threat posed by North Korea's weapons of mass destruction as an urgent priority."

Regarding North Korea's ICBM launch, they stated, "It clearly demonstrates North Korea's intent to develop and diversify its nuclear weapons and missile capabilities, along with evidence of ongoing nuclear-related activities," emphasizing that "North Korea's unprecedented illegal ballistic missile launch poses a serious threat to regional and international peace and security and undermines the global non-proliferation regime."

This statement was issued a day before the UN Security Council's public meeting scheduled for the 21st (local time) to discuss North Korea's non-proliferation issues, interpreted as a call for permanent members China and Russia to join in pressuring North Korea.

Choe Son-hui, North Korean Foreign Minister
Photo by Yonhap News

In diplomatic circles, it is widely expected that China and Russia, who hold veto power in the UN Security Council, are likely to oppose the meeting. Meanwhile, North Korea escalated tensions again by unleashing criticism against UN Secretary-General Ant?nio Guterres, who condemned the ICBM launch.

On the 21st, North Korean Foreign Minister Choe Son-hui, in a statement released by the Korean Central News Agency, sarcastically referred to Guterres as a "puppet of the United States," saying, "Lately, I often mistake the UN Secretary-General for a member of the White House or the State Department."

She particularly emphasized, "We have sent a clear signal that the United States should not act recklessly if it does not want disastrous consequences," and "We remind that the Democratic People's Republic of Korea is watching the movements of the United States and the UN Security Council with a clear response direction."

North Korea's statement appears intended to argue the unfairness of UN-level discussions by claiming bias on the part of the UN Secretary-General.

Professor Yang Moo-jin of the University of North Korean Studies analyzed, "While the direct target of regret is the UN Secretary-General, it can be interpreted as a message aimed at China and Russia not to become the United States' puppets in the Security Council," adding, "The restrained provocative language and the mention of a 'clear response direction' seem to hint at additional provocations following the Security Council meeting's outcome."

Meanwhile, this will be the sixth public meeting held by the UN Security Council this year in response to North Korea's provocations. Although South Korea is not a Security Council member and has no voting rights, it has decided to participate in this meeting as a concerned party.