On December 19, the United Nations Security Council (UNSC) held a meeting on the issue of North Korea's test-launch of the Hwasongpho-18 intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM).
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| North Korea launched the Hwasongpho-18 ICBM on December 18. (Source: KCNA) |
However, Kyodo news agency reported that the Security Council did not reach a decision in this session due to divisions among key members and only issued statements from representatives of the members.
During the meeting, the US called on Russia and China to work with other members to agree on a unified response to the launch, but Moscow asked Washington to suspend military activities near the Korean Peninsula and "refrain from further provocative steps".
Earlier the same day, North Korea, which is not a member of the UNSC, issued a statement affirming that the launch of the ICBM Hwasongpho-18 on December 18 was aimed at exercising the right to self-defense when the US and South Korea "deployed armed forces on a large scale, including nuclear-powered submarines and strategic nuclear bombers."
Also on December 19, South Korean news agency Yonhap reported that Foreign Ministry spokesman Lim Soo-suk called on China to play a "constructive role" on the North Korea issue.
The call came after Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi met with North Korean Vice Foreign Minister Pak Myong-ho on the day Pyongyang tested the Hwasongpho-18.
"China is a responsible permanent member of the UNSC and a country with influence on North Korea. We hope they will play a constructive role so that Pyongyang can stop its provocations and return to dialogue," the South Korean diplomat stressed.
In addition, according to Mr. Lim Soo-suk, South Korea will cooperate closely with the US, Japan and other important partners to "find ways to respond at the UNSC level as well as independent and multilateral sanctions against North Korea".
In another development, while visiting the Ground Operations Command of the Republic of Korea Army on December 19, Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff (JCS), Admiral Kim Myung-soo, ordered strong combat readiness against any possible surprise artillery attack.
The JCS chairman noted the importance of close coordination between South Korean and US combined firepower task forces to “neutralize” North Korean artillery attacks in the shortest possible time.
North Korea is estimated to possess about 700 long-range artillery pieces, about 300 of which are considered to pose a threat to the Seoul metropolitan area, home to about half of the country's 51.5 million people, according to South Korean officials.
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