US and Europe Request UN Security Council Meeting Over North Korea's Hypersonic Missile Launch

[Image source=Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy Reporter Hyunwoo Lee] It has been reported that the United States and European countries have requested the United Nations Security Council (UNSC) to discuss the issue of North Korea's ballistic missile launches. In particular, concerns are rising that the intensity of military provocations will increase as North Korea announced that it successfully launched a state-of-the-art hypersonic missile.

On the 6th (local time), Russia's Sputnik News, citing diplomatic sources, reported, "The United States, the United Kingdom, France, Ireland, Albania, and other European countries have requested a UNSC consultation regarding North Korea's missile launches." This request for a Security Council meeting follows North Korea's ballistic missile launch over the East Sea on the 5th, with North Korea claiming that the missile was a hypersonic missile that successfully flew 700 km.

The UN Security Council has held meetings and discussed countermeasures whenever North Korea has conducted ballistic missile launches that violate UNSC sanctions resolutions. When North Korea launched the hypersonic missile 'Hwasong-8' at the end of September last year and a submarine-launched ballistic missile (SLBM) in October of the same year, the United States, together with its allies, immediately requested the convening of the UNSC and held meetings. However, at that time, due to opposition from permanent members such as China and Russia, the council failed to agree on adopting a statement condemning North Korea's missile launches.

The United States has not yet officially commented on the request for the Security Council meeting. Ned Price, spokesperson for the U.S. Department of State, responded to questions about the UNSC meeting during a briefing by saying, "Our commitment to the defense of South Korea and Japan remains ironclad, and we will continue to maintain close contact with treaty allies in the Indo-Pacific region as well as allies and partners around the world."

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.