North Korea's UN Ambassador Opposes "Illegal Sanctions Resolution"... China and Russia Urge Easing of Sanctions on North Korea

Kim Sung, North Korean Ambassador to the UN [Photo by Reuters Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy New York=Special Correspondent Joselgina] Kim Sung, North Korean Ambassador to the United Nations, strongly criticized the UN Security Council's additional sanctions resolution against North Korea, which was led by the United States, on the 8th (local time), calling it an "illegal act." Regarding the recent missile test launches, he claimed they were an 'exercise of legitimate self-defense rights.'

Ambassador Kim attended the UN General Assembly meeting that day and stated, "The attempt to adopt the resolution pushed by the United States is an illegal act that violates the UN Charter and the spirit of international law, and we firmly oppose and criticize it." The UN General Assembly was held to explain the reasons for the veto exercised by China and Russia against the Security Council resolution, which focused on additional sanctions against North Korea.

Speaking as the third speaker after China and Russia, Ambassador Kim said, "The exercise of the right to self-defense is a legitimate right of a sovereign state that no one can deny," and claimed, "Modernizing our weapons is a legitimate exercise of self-defense to protect our country's security and fundamental interests from the direct threat of the United States."

He also pointed out, "It is truly difficult to understand why the Security Council has never questioned or condemned the United States' test launches of intercontinental ballistic missiles (ICBMs) and hypersonic missiles."

He raised his voice, saying, "The only UN member state that invaded more than 10 countries and overthrew more than 50 legitimate governments after World War II, killing hundreds of thousands of innocent civilians, is none other than the United States," and "The United States is also the country with the highest prevalence of gun crimes, the most severe racial discrimination, and the greatest loss of life due to the pandemic."

China and Russia called for the need to ease sanctions against North Korea that day. Jiang Jun, China's Ambassador to the United Nations, who spoke first, said, "The United States can do many things, such as easing sanctions against North Korea in certain areas and halting joint military exercises," and added, "The key is not just to say that you are ready for dialogue without preconditions but to take action." He urged, "China had no choice but to cast a dissenting vote," and "The United States must take fundamental responsibility for resolving the Korean Peninsula issue."

Anna Evstigneva, Russia's Deputy Ambassador to the United Nations, also stated, "We did not support the new sanctions resolution because it could worsen North Korea's complex humanitarian situation," and argued, "The humanitarian impact of such (additional sanctions) measures is extremely dangerous."

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