The United States has called for an emergency meeting of the UN Security Council on North Korea on Thursday, which launched the strongest rocket of 2017 on Sunday, diplomatic sources said on Tuesday, AFP notes.
The meeting would be held behind closed doors. It is up to Russia, the current chairman of the Security Council for February, to initial its organization.
Pyongyang confirmed on Monday that it had launched its most powerful missile the day before, starting in 2017, a medium and long-range ballistic missile Hwasong-12.
Earlier, UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres denounced in a statement a ballistic missile launch “in violation of the moratorium announced in 2018” by the country for that type of weapon.
This test is a “clear violation of Security Council resolutions,” he added, condemning it.
North Korea’s shooting on Sunday culminates a month of series testing and raises fears of Pyongyang resuming nuclear and intercontinental missile tests, AFP was quoted as saying by Agerpres.
In 2017, the UN Security Council unanimously decided three times to impose new harsh economic sanctions on North Korea for its nuclear and ballistic tests. These sanctions, the latest evidence of the Council’s unity on the North Korean case, mainly affect the country’s oil imports and exports of coal, iron, textiles and fishery products.
