South Korea-US warn North Korea about sanctions

LeaderNorth Korea's Kim Jong-Un watches a missile test. (Source: AFP/VNA)

According to Yonhap news agency, South Korea's head of the six-party nuclear talks delegation, Hwang Joon Kook, warned on September 17 that the United Nations Security Council would increase sanctions if North Korea launched a long-range missile.

Speaking to reporters while visiting Washington, Mr. Hwang Joon Kook made it clear that North Korea would push itself into deeper isolation if it carried out its missile launch plan.

According to him, not only the countries participating in the six-party talks, including South Korea and the United States, but also the United Nations Security Council consider North Korea's move to be a "serious act that threatens peace."

The statement was made by Mr. Hwang Joon Kook a few days after North Korean media reported that the country planned to launch a series of satellites into space and that preparations for this plan had entered the final stage.

In an interview with the Korean Central News Agency (KCNA), the director of the Korean National Aerospace Development Administration announced that the agency is pushing ahead with the final stage of the plan to develop a new Earth observation satellite for weather forecasting.

According to the official, North Korea has made great progress in developing launch pads for satellites and conducting research on geostationary satellites.

The move has raised speculation that Pyongyang will launch a long-range missile to coincide with the 70th anniversary of the founding of the Korean Workers' Party in October.

Under UN Security Council resolutions, North Korea is banned from conducting tests using ballistic missile technology. However, Pyongyang has always insisted that its rocket launches are part of a legitimate space program, helping to put satellites into orbit.

In a related development, on September 16, US Secretary of State John Kerry warned that the US would increase sanctions on North Korea if Pyongyang continued to take actions that Washington considered "provocative," such as starting a nuclear reactor, or failing to comply with international commitments.

Responding to reporters, Secretary of State Kerry affirmed that the US's goal is still a peaceful solution leading to the denuclearization of the Korean peninsula, as well as Washington's clear stance of not accepting North Korea as a nuclear-armed state.

Secretary Kerry's comments came after the White House and the US State Department urged North Korea to avoid actions that would increase tensions in the region.

Previously, on September 15, Pyongyang announced the restart of the Nyongbyon nuclear reactor, used to create weapons-grade plutonium.

KCNA reported that the country's atomic energy scientists are constantly upgrading nuclear weapons in both quality and quantity, while emphasizing that the country's nuclear program is only defensive in nature stemming from the US's hostile policy toward Pyongyang./.

According to VN+