MEETINGS COVERAGE

United Nations
9376TH MEETING (PM)
SC/15355
13 JULY 2023

Citing Growing Tensions on Korean

Peninsula, Top Peacebuilding Official
Warns Security Council Pyongyang’s
Missile System ‘Can Reach Most Points
on Earth’
The intercontinental ballistic missiles being developed by the Democratic
People’s Republic of Korea “can reach most points on Earth”, a senior United
Nations official warned today, urging Pyongyang to fully comply with its
international obligations under all relevant resolutions adopted by the Security
Council.

Briefing the 15-member organ, Khaled Khiari, Assistant Secretary-General for

Middle East, Asia and the Pacific in the Departments of Political and
Peacebuilding Affairs and Peace Operations, detailed Pyongyang’s launch on
12 July of a long-range solid-fuel intercontinental ballistic missile — a model that
does not need to undergo fuelling prior to launch and thus can be launched more
quickly than the liquid-fuel type.

On 31 May, the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea also attempted to launch

its first military satellite using ballistic-missile technology, he reported. While it is
the right of any sovereign State to launch a satellite and benefit from peaceful
space activities, the relevant Council resolutions expressly prohibit Pyongyang
from conducting any launches using ballistic-missile technology, he stressed.

As the seventieth anniversary of the Korean War Armistice Agreement

approaches, he deplored that “it is a tragic reality that tensions persist and remain
unresolved, even after seven decades”, while outlining several practical measures
that can be taken, including re-establishing communication channels, particularly
those between military entities to avoid an unintended escalation.

The ensuing debate revealed a deep division in the Council, with diverging views
on the causes for growing tensions on the Korean Peninsula.

Japan’s representative condemned the missile launch as it “endangered vessels,

exposed aircraft to great risk and terrified Japanese citizens”, and warned that
the estimated capable range of the missile could exceed 15,000 kilometres. All of
Asia, Europe, North America and Africa, and even part of South America would
be within the range of this delivery system that could carry unlawful nuclear
warheads, she warned.
Joining a chorus of such condemnation, the Republic of Korea’s delegate said
Pyongyang has launched more than 90 ballistic missiles since the beginning of
last year, meaning it violated the Council resolutions more than once per week.
Deploring that the Council has remained silent, he warned that each launch
allows that country to advance the technological development of increasingly
sophisticated means of delivering nuclear warheads.

The representative of the United States called out two members of the Council,
namely the Russian Federation and China, as preventing the 15-nation organ from
speaking with one voice. The Council’s resultant inaction has “emboldened, even
encouraged” Pyongyang to continue with their transgressions. The actions of the
Democratic People’s Republic of Korea “make a mockery of the Council”, he
said.

Rejecting claims against his country, the speaker from the Democratic People’s
Republic of Korea said that his country’s launch of its “Hwasongpho-18” missile
was in exercise of its right to self-defence to deter dangerous military moves by
hostile forces. Today’s meeting is a “a contradictory act that denies the
fundamental principles of sovereign equality and non-interference in internal
affairs”, he stressed.

Voicing alarm over the United States’ dispatch of a nuclear submarine to the
Republic of Korea and its “aerial espionage acts” in his country, he asked: “How
can the deployment of nuclear assets, joint military exercises and aerial
espionage acts by the United States contribute to peace and stability on the
Korean Peninsula?” The Council should take one of two options: to refrain from
obstructing his country’s right to self-defence, or to denounce and deter the
United States’ “anti-peace behaviour”.

China’s representative said the United States and other countries that have long
regarded Pyongyang as a security threat are obsessed with sanctions and
pressurization. This, in turn, has put the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea
under an enormous security threat, while that country’s legitimate security
concerns have never been addressed, he said, calling for dialogue towards a
political settlement.

The Russian Federation’s delegate said that, while the United States, Republic of
Korea and Japan continue to increase the scale of their regional exercises and
their military cooperation, some Council members attempt to put that factor
aside. Most recent events underscore the need for an immediate de-escalation,
she said, drawing attention to the Russian Federation-China plan of action for a
comprehensive settlement on the Korean Peninsula.

Several Council members expressed grave concern over the dire humanitarian
and human rights situations in the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea, with
Malta’s representative stating that serious humanitarian needs continue to be
ignored by Pyongyang’s leadership, which instead chooses to allocate its
resources to costly ballistic-missile launches and its illegal weapons programme.
The speaker for Albania pointed out that Pyongyang is gravely violating the
Convention on the Rights of the Child through ordering children to collect scrap
metal that can be used in weapons manufacturing, calling on the Council to react
against such militarization of children.

The speaker from the United Arab Emirates, recalling that, in the past, the
Council’s unity prevailed on this file and served to send a clear message that the
Council would not allow nuclear proliferation by Pyongyang, urged a return to
such unity.
The meeting began at 5:10 p.m. and ended at 6:44 p.m.

Briefing

KHALED KHIARI, Assistant Secretary-General for Middle East, Asia and the
Pacific in the United Nations Departments of Political and Peacebuilding Affairs
and Peace Operations, said the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea launched
its Hwasong-18 intercontinental ballistic missile on 12 July, its second firing of its
new solid-fuel type, which does not need to undergo fuelling prior to launch and
thus can be launched more quickly than the liquid-fuel type. The missile is
reported to have flown for 1,001.2 kilometres to an altitude of 6,648.4 kilometres
before falling into the sea, inside the Russian Federation’s exclusive economic
zone. The flight was reportedly around 74 minutes, potentially making it the
Democratic People’s Republic of Korea’s longest ballistic missile flight duration.
The systems Pyongyang tested on 12 July, 13 April, 16 March, 18 February this
year, as well as on five occasions last year, “can reach most points on Earth”, he
said.

The Democratic People’s Republic of Korea did not issue airspace or maritime
safety notifications for this launch, he noted, cautioning that the unannounced
launches represent a serious risk to international civil aviation and maritime traffic.
He then called on Pyongyang to fully comply with its international obligations
under all relevant Security Council resolutions and resume dialogue without
preconditions towards sustainable peace and the complete and verifiable
denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula. The Democratic People’s Republic of
Korea significantly increased its missile launch activities in 2022 and 2023,
including more than 90 launches using ballistic-missile technology. It also
attempted to launch its first military satellite with what it described as a “new-type
carrier rocket” using ballistic-missile technology on 31 May. While it is the right of
any sovereign State to launch a satellite and benefit from peaceful space
activities, the relevant Council resolutions expressly prohibit Pyongyang from
conducting any launches using ballistic-missile technology.

Welcoming the Council’s commitment, as expressed in resolution 2397 (2017), to

a peaceful, comprehensive, diplomatic and political solution to the situation on
the Korean Peninsula, he pointed out that the lack of unity and action in the
Council does little to slow the negative trajectory. In a fortnight, the seventieth
anniversary of the Korean War Armistice Agreement will be observed. “It is a
tragic reality that tensions persist and remain unresolved even after seven
decades,” he said, outlining several practical measures that can be taken,
including re-establishing communication channels, particularly those between
military entities to avoid an unintended escalation. Turning to the humanitarian
situation in that country, he expressed the United Nations’ readiness to assist
Pyongyang in addressing basic needs of its vulnerable populations. Given that
COVID-19 is no longer a public health emergency, he urged the Democratic
People’s Republic of Korea to allow the unimpeded re-entry and rotation of the
international community, including United Nations staff and the United Nations
Resident Coordinator.

Statements

JEFFREY DELAURENTIS (United States) condemned in the strongest possible

terms the 12 July launch of an intercontinental ballistic-missile launch, which is
alarming — although “hardly surprising” — given the Democratic People’s
Republic of Korea’s launch of as many as 20 ballistic missiles in 2023, including
4 intercontinental ones, in violation of multiple Security Council resolutions. He
voiced alarm over these tests of nuclear-weapon delivery systems, following
threatening statements against United States aircrafts operating in international
airspace. Against this backdrop, he underscored the urgent need for the Council
to unite to counter nuclear proliferation, as it did in 2017, when the Democratic
People’s Republic of Korea last participated in a briefing.

However, today, two members of the Council — the Russian Federation and
China — are preventing the 15-nation organ from speaking with one voice, he
added, observing that the Council’s resultant inaction has “emboldened, even
encouraged” Pyongyang to continue with their transgressions. The actions of the
Democratic People’s Republic of Korea “make a mockery of the Council”, he
said, urging that country to engage in dialogue with no preconditions. Calling the
status quo “untenable”, he called on all Council members to denounce
Pyongyang’s unlawful behaviour and implement all relevant resolutions.

NICOLAS DE RIVIÈRE (France), noting that the Council has remained disunited in
silence, said it cannot resign itself to inaction. The Democratic People’s Republic
of Korea has launched 20 ballistic missiles in 2023. This is a flagrant violation of
numerous Council resolutions, he stressed, voicing concern about the escalation
in the last few weeks and Pyongyang declaring itself as an irreversible nuclear
Power. “Doing nothing or being complacent with North Korea is tantamount to
trivializing nuclear proliferation,” he stressed, adding that France will not resign
itself to that country becoming a nuclear State. To halt the escalation, all
unanimously adopted international sanctions must be fully applied and all forms
of circumvention must be combated, including in the cyber- and maritime
spheres. In the face of those provocations, the priority is to resume dialogue
without preconditions, so that Pyongyang abandons its programme in a
complete, verifiable and irreversible manner, he said.

ALBANA DAUTLLARI (Albania) said Pyongyang is gravely violating the

Convention on the Rights of the Child through ordering children to collect scrap
metal that can be used in weapons manufacturing. Deploring militarization of
children by the regime, she called on the Council to react against such policies.
As de-escalation measures, she called on the Democratic People’s Republic of
Korea to reinstate the moratorium on launches of intercontinental ballistic
missiles, which was abolished last year, stop cyberattacks and destabilizing
actions, respect fundamental human rights through the implementations of the
conventions that Pyongyang has ratified, and refrain from conducting a seventh
nuclear test.

SHINO MITSUKO (Japan) expressed her greatest regret that the Democratic
People’s Republic of Korea launched yet another intercontinental ballistic missile,
which is estimated to have landed in waters near Japan, just 250 kilometres from
Hokkaido. It endangered vessels, exposed aircraft to great risk, and terrified
Japanese citizens. Calculations based on the flight trajectory indicate that the
estimated capable range of the missile could exceed 15,000 kilometres, meaning
all of Asia, Europe, North America and Africa and even part of South America
would be within the range of this delivery system that could carry unlawful nuclear
warheads.

The Council unanimously adopted resolution 2397 (2017), the most recent
resolution adopted in the face of threats posed by Pyongyang, in which, the
15‑member organ decided to act if that country were to launch an intercontinental
ballistic missile or conduct a nuclear test, he noted. Asking how many such
missiles have been launched without the Council taking any action, she urged
Pyongyang to immediately and fully comply with all relevant resolutions and
resume substantive dialogue with the countries concerned toward complete
denuclearization. “The path to dialogue remains open,” she emphasized.

DARREN CAMILLERI (Malta) expressed deep concerned over the dire

humanitarian situation in the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea. The World
Food Programme (WFP) estimates that 10.7 million people are undernourished
and in need of emergency relief. However, these serious humanitarian needs
continue to be ignored by Pyongyang’s leadership, which instead chooses to
allocate its resources to costly ballistic-missile launches and its illegal weapons
programme. It also continues to restrict humanitarian access, he said, calling on
that country to restore access to the United Nations and other humanitarian
actors to provide its population with the aid it requires. Reminding the Council of
the shared objective, which is peace and denuclearization of the Korean
Peninsula, he stressed the need for unity and action, as divisions and delays
would only push it further out of reach. In this regard, his delegation supports a
Council product.

JAMES KARIUKI (United Kingdom), Council President for July, speaking in his
national capacity, condemned Pyongyang’s launch of yet another intercontinental
ballistic missile, the twelfth since the start of 2022. It came in the wake of a failed
military reconnaissance satellite launch on 31 May. The Democratic People's
Republic of Korea’s actions violate multiple Council resolutions and demonstrate
flagrant disregard for the international nuclear non-proliferation regime. “We must
be firm and united in our response to these violations,” he said, calling on
Pyongyang to abandon its illegal nuclear- and ballistic-weapons programmes,
which are impoverishing its people and destabilizing the region, and return to
compliance with the Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons. It must
sign and ratify the Comprehensive Nuclear-Test-Ban Treaty and take up repeated
and unconditional offers of dialogue. Allowing diplomats and non-governmental
organizations back into the country is an important part of this process.
“Diplomacy is the only route to making progress towards a sustainable peace on
the Peninsula,” he said.

LILLY STELLA NGYEMA NDONG (Gabon) voiced concern over the Democratic
People’s Republic of Korea’s clear intention to continue with its ballistic-missile
launches, noting that such launches have proved, over several months, to be
increasingly more powerful, as well as more regular. Such an uptick in missile-
launch activity threatens to inch closer to “a point of no return”, she said, also
voicing concern over the heightened rhetoric accompanying such activity, which
stokes tensions. She underlined the need for trust to be restored for the
resumption of negotiations. Gabon condemns yet another act that constitutes a
violation of international law, and calls for de-escalation and restraint, she said.

RICCARDA CHRISTIANA CHANDA (Switzerland) condemned the Democratic

People’s Republic of Korea’s fourth launch of an intercontinental ballistic missile
this year, voicing concern about the risk of escalation inherent in such an act.
The Council must assume its responsibilities, she stressed, underlining that these
launches are in violation of legally binding Council resolutions and therefore of
international law. While the obligations arising from these texts apply primarily to
Pyongyang, “they also apply to all other States, which are required to implement
the Security Council sanctions effectively”, she said. Underscoring that such
measures must not adversely affect humanitarian aid, she voiced hope that the
heavy pandemic‑related restrictions put in place by the Democratic People’s
Republic of Korea will soon be lifted. Turning to dialogue, de-escalation and
diplomacy, she welcomed the call for the Secretary-General's good offices and
encouraged Pyongyang to engage constructively with the Council and the United
Nations system.

ZHANG JUN (China), noting Pyongyang’s recent launch, voiced concern about
heightened military pressure and repeated dispatches of strategic weapons by a
certain country to carry out military activities on the Korean Peninsula. None of
these incidents happened in isolation, he pointed out, warning that, should the
vicious cycle persist, the Peninsula question will further escalate. As a legacy of
the cold war, the issue drags on and its crux lies in the absence of a peace
mechanism, he said, noting that the United States and other countries that have
long regarded Pyongyang as a security threat are obsessed with sanctions and
pressurization. This, in turn, has put the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea
under an enormous security threat, while its legitimate security concerns have
never been addressed. Dialogue and negotiation are the only correct and
effective way to ease tensions in the Peninsula and promote a political settlement,
he stressed.

MOHAMED ISSA ABUSHAHAB (United Arab Emirates) expressed his country’s

solidarity with the people of the Republic of Korea and Japan in the threat they
face, stressing that civilians anywhere in the world, including within the
Democratic People’s Republic of Korea itself, should not be subjected to any
arbitrary threats. The seventieth anniversary of the Korean Armistice is a sobering
reminder that sustainable peace in the Korean Peninsula remains elusive. All
parties must double down on diplomatic efforts and dialogue to bring about
stability and prosperity, he said. In the past, the Council’s unity prevailed on this
file and served to send a clear message that the Council would not allow nuclear
proliferation by Pyongyang. His country will continue to encourage a return to
this unity so that the Council can fulfil its responsibility to support the work
towards peace and security in the Korean Peninsula, he stressed.

HAROLD ADLAI AGYEMAN (Ghana), observing that today’s meeting marked the
first time since 2017, that a representative of the Democratic People’s Republic of
Korea was present in the Council when this topic was being addressed, voiced
hope that this will facilitate efforts of the 15-nation organ to ensure a peaceful
Korean Peninsula. He deplored the recent launch of an intercontinental ballistic
missile by the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea, which took place against
the backdrop of heightened tensions in the region, and came on the heels of
several other launches, all in contravention of Council resolutions. He called on
Pyongyang to adhere to its international obligations and refrain from further
ballistic-missile launches. He called for immediate steps to deescalate tensions,
and for progress towards building dialogue and constructive engagement with the
Pyongyang and other major parties on the former’s nuclear weapons programme.

HERNÁN PÉREZ LOOSE (Ecuador) once again condemned the recent second
launch this year of a solid-fuel intercontinental ballistic missile by Pyongyang,
which follows dozens of previous launches. This is not an isolated event and
once again defies the Council’s provisions, while undermining the international
disarmament and non-proliferation architecture, he stressed. He recalled that
with the unanimous adoption of resolution 2397 (2017), the Council expressed its
determination to take new and significant measures in response to any further
launches by that country. If the Council’s response is slow in coming, it could be
consolidating an unacceptable exception for the Democratic People’s Republic of
Korea, he warned. Voicing support for all efforts to achieve a diplomatic and
political solution for the irreversible denuclearization of the Peninsula, he
appealed for greater cooperation and dialogue in good faith, and called on
Pyongyang to fully comply with its obligations under international law, the Charter
of the United Nations and the Council’s resolutions.

SÉRGIO FRANÇA DANESE (Brazil) condemned the launch on 11 July of an

intercontinental ballistic missile by the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea in
violation of relevant resolutions of the Council, endangering maritime safety and
neighbouring populations. If reports are correct, the recent missile launch implies
further progress made by the country in Pyongyang’s nuclear capabilities, he
added. Against this backdrop, he called on the Council to face the “harsh reality”
that its present approach on the issue has not worked. He voiced
disappointment over the polarized discussions around “a false choice: new
rounds of sanctions, or remaining silent to avoid provoking Democratic People’s
Republic of Korea”. He therefore called on the Council to take a new approach to
the issue, by helping rebuild trust to open a window for diplomatic engagement,
voicing hope that the presence of Pyongyang’s representative after a long hiatus
is a positive sign to this end.

ANNA M. EVSTIGNEEVA (Russian Federation) said her country has consistently

opposed any military activity which would threaten the security of the Peninsula
and the countries of North-East Asia. This meeting was convened by the United
States, Albania, France, Japan, Malta and the United Kingdom regarding a missile
launch, she pointed out, drawing attention to the actions of the United States,
Republic of Korea and Japan who continue to increase the scale of their regional
exercises and their military cooperation. For some reason, some Council
members attempt to put that factor aside, although it provides context for what is
going on, she pointed out. Most recent events underscore the need for an
immediate de-escalation and renouncing provocations and returning to
negotiations. She drew attention to the Russian Federation-China plan of action
for a comprehensive settlement on the Korean Peninsula, noting that its
implementation will require mutually respectful dialogue and taking into account
the legitimate interests of all States involved.

MARTINS MARIANO KUMANGA (Mozambique) said that the Korean Peninsula,

like the world at large, deserves peace, security and stability. For that to be
achieved, all the stakeholders must refrain from taking unilateral actions that can
endanger stability in region. In this context, his country demands full compliance,
by all parties, with Council resolutions on the Korean Peninsula issue.
Humankind lives in an era, threatened by the proliferation of weapons of mass
destruction. “We need, all of us, to take into our hands the heavy responsibility of
keeping and cherishing the peace,” he said. “This is a tall order that derives from
the Charter.” He then called for dialogue and negotiated solutions for the
maintenance of international peace and security.

KIM SONG (Democratic People’s Republic of Korea), asserting that exercise of

the right to self-defence is “a legitimate right of a sovereign State which nobody
can deny as it is recognized under the United Nations Charter and international
law”, stated that his country’s test-fire of a new type of intercontinental ballistic
missile had no negative effect on the security of neighbouring countries. “Japan
announced that our missile landed outside its Exclusive Economic Zone, which is
tantamount to Japan’s acknowledgement that no risk was posed to its security,”
he added. Given that his country’s launch of its “Hwasongpho-18” missile was in
exercise of its right to self-defence to deter dangerous military moves by hostile
forces, the present briefing is “a contradictory act that denies the fundamental
principles of sovereign equality and non-interference in internal affairs”, he
stressed.

Therefore, he rejected the briefing convened by the United States, whose military
provocations against his country were growing. He took issue with various
actions by Washington, D.C., including its “cooked-up” Washington Declaration,
which he characterized as “a platform for a nuclear showdown” with Pyongyang,
as well as a planned meeting of its “Nuclear Consultative Group” with the
Republic of Korea. He also voiced alarm over the United States’ dispatch of a
nuclear submarine to the Republic of Korea, and its “aerial espionage acts” in his
country, calling such actions provocations of an aggressive nature which push the
region towards an armed conflict. “How can the deployment of nuclear assets,
joint military exercises and aerial espionage acts by the United States contribute
to peace and stability on the Korean Peninsula?”, he asked. If the latter’s “military
arbitrariness” lead to a disaster like a nuclear war, can the Council bear the
responsibility for such a situation? “If not,” he added, the Council should take
one of two options: to refrain from obstructing his country’s right to self-defence,
or to denounce and deter the United States’ “anti-peace behaviour”.
JOONKOOK HWANG (Republic of Korea) said that, since the beginning of last
year, the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea has launched more than
90 ballistic missiles, including 13 long-range ones, which means Pyongyang has
violated the Council resolutions more than once per week. Deploring that the
Council has remained silent, he warned that each launch allows that country to
advance the technological development of increasingly sophisticated means of
delivering nuclear warheads. The Council has been paralysed since it failed to
adopt a resolution against the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea’s missile
launch in May 2022. No individuals or entities have been newly designated on
the 1718 Sanctions List during the last five years. It is deeply troubling that the
Council meets repeatedly without any concrete result, he said, while Pyongyang
profits massively by continuing to evade sanctions and exploit key loopholes
through malicious cyberactivities, overseas laborers and illicit ship-to-ship
transfers of refined petroleum products and coal.

Rejecting a false equivalency between the Democratic People’s Republic of

Korea’s unlawful provocations and the long-standing, joint defensive military
exercises by the United States and the Republic of Korea, he said Pyongyang is
the one that continually reinforces its hostile policy. Its reckless pursuit of a
growing nuclear arsenal and its gross and systematic human rights abuses are
indeed two sides of the same coin, he said, urging the Council to revive its public
meetings on that country’s human rights situation. This year marks the seventieth
anniversary of the Korean Armistice Agreement, which resulted from the
Democratic People’s Republic of Korea’s invasion against its southern neighbor
in 1950. It is simply appalling to witness how Pyongyang has consistently
threatened the peace and stability of the Korean Peninsula, and the region, and
beyond. “The door for dialogue remains wide open,” he said, urging the
neighbouring State to immediately cease its destabilizing actions.

DISARMAMENT

DEMOCRATIC PEOPLE’S REPUBLIC OF KOREA

! For information media. Not an official record.