Al Mayadeen English

  • Ar
  • Es
  • x
Al Mayadeen English

Slogan

  • News
    • Politics
    • Economy
    • Sports
    • Arts&Culture
    • Health
    • Miscellaneous
    • Technology
    • Environment
  • Articles
    • Opinion
    • Analysis
    • Blog
    • Features
  • Videos
    • NewsFeed
    • Video Features
    • Explainers
    • TV
    • Digital Series
  • Infographs
  • In Pictures
  • • LIVE
News
  • Politics
  • Economy
  • Sports
  • Arts&Culture
  • Health
  • Miscellaneous
  • Technology
  • Environment
Articles
  • Opinion
  • Analysis
  • Blog
  • Features
Videos
  • NewsFeed
  • Video Features
  • Explainers
  • TV
  • Digital Series
Infographs
In Pictures
  • Africa
  • Asia
  • Asia-Pacific
  • Europe
  • Latin America
  • MENA
  • Palestine
  • US & Canada
BREAKING
Russian agency: Russia will conduct a nuclear test if the US does
Al-Nakhalah: We are the rightful owners, and we must fight to retrieve our rights
Al-Nakhalah: The enemy and its allies must know that we can never surrender to their terms and diktats after all the sacrifices made
Al-Nakhalah: The prisoner exchange clause can be completed in the next few days, and thus we will have pulled the [explosion] fuse and removed the enemy's justifications for aggression
Al-Nakhalah: The Resistance has expressed its willingness to negotiate on the basis that there are items that can be dealt with positively, the first of which is the prisoner exchange item
Al-Nakhalah: Trump's plan entails the Palestinian people's declaration of complete surrender to the enemy
PIJ Secretary-General, Ziyad al-Nakhalah, in an address aired on Al Mayadeen: The Resistance is engaging in a fierce negotiating battle under the so-called Trump plan
Russian Federation Council approves joint military cooperation agreement with Cuba
Al-Nunu: Today, the lists of prisoners required to be released, the agreed-upon criteria and numbers, were exchanged
Al-Nunu from Sharm el-Sheikh: Negotiations focused on mechanisms for implementing an end to the war, the withdrawal of occupation forces from the Gaza Strip, and the exchange of prisoners

US slams UNSC 'silence' on DPRK missiles as 'worse than shameful'

  • By Al Mayadeen English
  • Source: Agencies
  • 21 Feb 2023 09:26
4 Min Read

Despite denouncing "lack of action," the US itself has been recently delaying a draft resolution calling on the Israeli occupation to "immediately and completely cease" settlement activities in the occupied West Bank.

  • x
  • DPRK
    US Ambassador to the United Nations, Linda Thomas-Greenfield, speaks during a UNSC meeting at the UN headquarters in New York, on February 6, 2023. (Reuters)

The United States on Monday denounced what it described as a "dangerous" lack of action by the United Nations Security Council on the missile launches carried by the DRPK, accusing -- but not naming -- China and Russia of having "forced" the body "into silence".

The DPRK test-fired dozens of missiles in 2022. It fired two ballistic missiles Monday, 48 hours after testing an intercontinental ballistic missile.

"In the face of unprecedented launches last year, two permanent members forced us into silence in spite of countless DPRK (North Korean) violations," Washington's UN Ambassador Linda Thomas-Greenfield said, referring to vetoes by China and Russia last May of a resolution that would have imposed new sanctions against Pyongyang.

"On this vital matter, silence leads to irrelevance," Thomas-Greenfield pointed out at an emergency meeting of the Security Council.

The 15-member panel's "lack of action is worse than shameful. It is dangerous," she claimed, saying the "repeated failures to respond emboldens the DPRK" to conduct such launches.

"The reality is that those who shield the DPRK from the consequences of its escalatory missile tests put the Asian region, and entire world, at risk of conflict," Thomas-Greenfield claimed.

She claimed that thanks to sanctions approved by the Security Council in 2017, Pyongyang "refrained from any major provocations for nearly five years" and engaged in dialogue with the West.

The US envoy pointed out that even if permanent members of the Security Council continue to block action, Washington will nevertheless propose adopting a statement condemning the DPRK launches.

Despite denouncing "lack of action," the US itself has been recently delaying a draft resolution calling on the Israeli occupation to "immediately and completely cease" settlement activities in the occupied West Bank, as per UN diplomats, with the White House saying it was "deeply dismayed" by the Israeli plans, in a clear act of double standards.

Related News

Russia ratifies military deal with Cuba amid US escalation

Araghchi denies any contact with US envoy Witkoff over nuclear talks

In the same context, several other members echoed the US criticism of the UNSC over Pyongyang's missile launches.

"If we remain silent for fear of further provocations, that will only encourage rule breakers to write the playbook as they like," Japan's UN Ambassador Ishikane Kimihiro said.

"We have to face facts: the current escalation is dangerous," France's Nicolas de Riviere added.

The question is simple, he said, "Can this council accept that North Korea becomes a nuclear state?"

Read more: US blocks all resolutions on Palestine: Russia at UNSC

Russia points finger at joint US-South Korea military exercises

On its part, Russia pointed the finger at joint US-South Korean military exercises for the escalation, with the country's Deputy Ambassador Dmitry Polyanskiy saying, the "United States and its allies have special responsibility in this situation."

"Constant Security Council meetings on North Korea issues in a situation where individual members of the council are not ready for constructive dialogue and only want to criticize DPRK are not conducive to resolving the situation," indicated Polyanskiy.

On Friday, a spokesperson for the DPRK's Ministry of Foreign Affairs said the US has been turning the Korean Peninsula into a military base, accusing the Security Council of failing to act.

It is noteworthy that the Security Council's last display of unity on the issue came in 2017. Under the administration of then-president Donald Trump, the US led the council to adopt three resolutions imposing sanctions on Pyongyang after missile and nuclear tests.

Read more: South Korean defense paper dubs DPRK 'enemy', again

  • United States
  • DPRK
  • US
  • UN Security Council
  • UNSC
  • North Korea

Most Read

Tucker Carlson speaks at a memorial for Charlie Kirk, Sunday, September 21, 2025, at State Farm Stadium in Glendale, Arizona (AP)

Tucker Carlson: Israeli officers gave orders on Iran inside Pentagon

  • Politics
  • 2 Oct 2025
A Hamas fighter in combat fatigues stands before the ceremony for the handover of Israeli captives to the Red Cross in Nuseirat, central Gaza Strip, Saturday, February 22, 2025 (AP)

Hamas responds to Trump plan, backs Gaza withdrawal, exchange

  • Politics
  • 3 Oct 2025
Mossad’s secret role in Aldo Moro’s 1978 murder revealed

Mossad’s secret role in Aldo Moro’s 1978 murder exposed

  • Politics
  • 5 Oct 2025
Al-Quds Brigades strike a command and control center north of Khan Younis, southern Gaza Strip, in an undated screengrab from the al-Quds Brigades military media

Gaza resistance announces major operations against Israeli forces

  • Politics
  • 1 Oct 2025

Coverage

All
War on Gaza

Read Next

All
Retired Israeli General Brik says Israel has reached point of no return.
Politics

Retired Israeli General Brik: 'Israel has reached point of no return'

Depleted by foreign wars, US seeks to re-arm for another confrontation
Politics

Depleted by foreign wars, US seeks to re-arm for another confrontation

Gaza’s newborns gasp for life as hospitals collapse amid Israeli war
Health

Gaza newborns gasp for life, share oxygen masks amid collapsed system

UK arms exports to 'Israel' reach record high despite ban calls
Politics

UK arms exports to 'Israel' reach record high despite ban calls

Al Mayadeen English

Al Mayadeen is an Arab Independent Media Satellite Channel.

All Rights Reserved

  • x
  • Privacy Policy
  • About Us
  • Contact Us
  • Authors
Android
iOS