Foreign Ministry Refutes Russia, Says North Korea's Nuclear Development Is a Clear Violation of UN Security Council Resolutions

Lavrov Says Russia "Will Not Allow Adoption of UNSC Resolutions Imposing Sanctions on North Korea"

Ministry of Foreign Affairs sign. Yonhap News

A Foreign Ministry official said on the 12th that North Korea's nuclear development is "a serious challenge to peace on the Korean Peninsula and in the world, as well as to the international non-proliferation regime (the NPT regime)," adding that it is "a clear violation of numerous UN Security Council resolutions." The official went on to say, "We believe that the issue of denuclearization will continue to be discussed as an important topic within the international community."

This appears to be a rebuttal to Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov's remarks regarding sanctions on North Korea. On the 11th (local time), during a government question-and-answer session at the State Duma, the lower house of the Russian parliament, Lavrov said, "We will not allow the adoption of UN Security Council resolutions that impose sanctions on North Korea." He added, "In the end, the claim that demands for denuclearization are timely is simply disrespectful to our North Korean friends."

Regarding this, the Foreign Ministry official stated, "For our government, we will continue to make every effort, in close cooperation with the international community, to achieve tangible progress in resolving the North Korean nuclear issue."