North Missile Condemned for the First Time at NSC Standing Committee... Government Awareness Becomes More Severe (Comprehensive Report 2)

Mention of 'Condemnation' Arises Over Possibility of Moratorium Cancellation

[Image source=Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy Reporter Lee Ji-eun] On the 30th, President Moon Jae-in chaired an emergency full meeting of the National Security Council (NSC) regarding North Korea's seventh missile launch of the new year, pointing out that North Korea's missile launch is "an act violating the UN Security Council resolutions."

This was the first time in about a year since the Biden administration took office in January last year that President Moon chaired an NSC meeting. At the subsequent NSC Standing Committee meeting, North Korea's missile launch was condemned, urging the maintenance of the moratorium and a return to dialogue.

At 9:25 a.m. that day, President Moon convened an emergency full NSC meeting, received a report on North Korea's medium-range ballistic missile launch trends from Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Won In-chul, and reviewed the security situation and readiness posture.

The NSC defined the missile launched by North Korea as a "medium-range ballistic missile." President Moon pointed out that the situation shows a pattern similar to the tense period in 2017 when medium-range ballistic missile launches escalated to long-range ballistic missile launches, stating that it can be seen as "a challenge to the international community's efforts for denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula, peace and stability on the Korean Peninsula, and diplomatic resolution, as well as an act violating UN Security Council resolutions."

He urged North Korea to "stop acts of tension escalation and pressure and respond to dialogue proposals from the Republic of Korea, the United States, and the international community," while emphasizing the need to closely monitor related developments based on the strong ROK-US alliance and to take responsive measures through close consultation between the two countries.

Furthermore, he instructed to keep in mind related matters and discuss them, noting that although North Korea has expressed willingness for dialogue and maintained a moratorium on nuclear tests and intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM) launches, if it is a medium-range ballistic missile launch, it can be considered as approaching the breaking point of the moratorium declaration.

[Image source=Yonhap News]

At the NSC full meeting that day, there was no mention of defining North Korea's missile as a "provocation" or condemning the missile launch. Instead, statements went a step further than previous expressions of regret, including "a challenge to the international community's efforts," "violation of UN Security Council resolutions," and "approaching the breaking of the moratorium declaration."

This appears to be because the medium-range missile launch, which could lead to long-range missile launches such as ICBMs, is being taken very seriously. It has been five years since North Korea last launched a medium-range missile, the Hwasong-12, in 2017. Professor Yang Moo-jin of the University of North Korean Studies expressed concern, saying, "Based on past experience, it is only a matter of time before medium-range missile launches lead to long-range missile launches."

After the full meeting chaired by President Moon, the subsequent NSC Standing Committee meeting issued a condemnation of North Korea's missile launch. Standing committee members attending the meeting stated, "North Korea's medium-range ballistic missile launch is a challenge to the international community's diplomatic demands for denuclearization and peace and stability on the Korean Peninsula and to the UN Security Council resolutions, and we condemn it." Until now, the NSC Standing Committee had only expressed "regret" or "concern" regarding North Korea's missile launches instead of condemnation.

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