North Korea: UN Security Council Applies Double Standards over Military Activities
3 Min Read
North Korea said that the UN Security Council showed a double standard over military behavior among UN member states.
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A newly developed anti-aircraft missile is seen during a test conducted by the Academy of Defense Science. (KCNA via REUTERS)
North Korea slammed the United Nations Security Council on Sunday for convening an emergency meeting in response to the country's latest missile tests, accusing the member states of playing with a "time bomb."
Pyongyang asserted that the United Nations Security Council applied double standards over military activities among UN member states.
Furthermore, it has recently announced that it had successfully launched an anti-aircraft missile, the latest in a series of tension-inducing moves by the nuclear-armed state, which had previously been dormant since the change in US administrations in January.
North Korea has also launched a long-range cruise missile in September and tested what it described as a hypersonic gliding vehicle, which the South Korean military said appeared to be in the early stages of development.
The tests prompted the United States, Britain, and France to call an emergency meeting of the UN Security Council on North Korea on Friday.
The meeting was supposed to take place on Thursday, but it was postponed. It lasted a little more than an hour and ended without a statement.
Nonetheless, Pyongyang was enraged, calling it a "wanton encroachment" on its sovereignty and a "serious intolerable provocation."
According to KCNA, the development of the weapons system boosts North Korea's defense capabilities, calling the hypersonic missile a "strategic weapon".
Furthermore, the report noted that North Korean leader Kim Jong-un was not present at the time of the launch.
The United States, which tested an air-breathing hypersonic weapon on Tuesday, “condemned” North Korea’s missile launch and advised Pyongyang to engage in dialogue.
The two Koreas tested ballistic missiles on Sept. 15, sliding into an accelerating arms race.
The US State Department said in a statement, “This launch is in violation of multiple UN Security Council Resolutions and poses a threat to North Korea’s neighbors and the international community.”
North Korea has since released a series of statements saying it is willing to restart stalled talks and consider another summit if the United States and South Korea scrap their "double standards" on weapons.
Pyongyang also successfully test-fired a new long-range cruise missile on September 13, the first since March, raising concerns in Washington about the "threats" presented by such tests.
A recent ballistic missile test suggested that North Korea is escalating tensions in defiance of US President Joe Biden's administration.
