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UN Must Unequivocally Denounce DPRK Missile Launch
The United States condemns in the strongest possible terms the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea, or DPRK’s, January 6 launch of an intermediate range ballistic missile.
“It is no mystery why the DPRK feels emboldened to carry out unlawful ballistic missile launches with impunity,” declared Ambassador Dorothy Shea, U.S. Deputy Representative to the United Nations at the Security Council.
“For the past two years Russia and China have muzzled this Council from acting. In March, Russia ended the mandate of the 1718 Committee Panel of Experts through its capricious use of the veto. Russia and China also blocked a straightforward, factual press statement noting the DPRK’s October ICBM launch had violated multiple Security Council resolutions.”
These actions coincide with Russia’s and the DPRK’s ongoing military cooperation in Russia’s war against Ukraine, said Ambassador Shea.
“Since December 2023, the DPRK has transferred over 20,000 shipping containers of munitions to date, containing at least six million heavy artillery rounds and well over 100 ballistic missiles to Russia for use against Ukraine. These missiles have subsequently been launched into Ukraine, impacting civilian infrastructure and populated areas such as Kyiv and Zaporizhzhia.”
Russia has turned to the DPRK also now for manpower as well as munitions, welcoming more than 12,000 DPRK troops onto its soil, said Ambassador Shea.
“Since December of 2024, we have seen DPRK troops join in the fighting in Kursk, marking the first time they have participated in large-scale ground combat operations in more than seventy years, and the first time they have done so outside the Korean Peninsula. It is also the first time since the Second World War that Russia has invited a foreign force on its territory for a military operation.”
In return for its support to Russia, Russia has transferred air defense systems to the DPRK. “We are particularly concerned about Moscow’s intent to share with Pyongyang satellite and space technologies,” said Ambassador Shea.
Despite the DPRK’s actions, “We urge the DPRK to return to the negotiating table and engage in meaningful dialogue,” said Ambassador Shea.
She further called on all Council members denounce the DPRK’s destabilizing behavior, to implement Security Council obligations, and work together to prevent the DPRK’s procurement activities and revenue flows supporting its unlawful WMD and ballistic missile programs.