Remarks by Ambassador Koro Bessho, Ambassador Samantha Power and
Ambassador Hahn Choong-hee, Following Security Council Consultations on DPRK

 

6 September 2016

 

 

Ambassador Samantha Power: Hi everybody, good afternoon. The United States, along with our Japanese and Korean colleagues called these urgent consultations today to discuss DPRK’s most recent provocation: three medium range ballistic missiles launched nearly simultaneously, flying approximately 1000 kilometers downrange and hitting within 300 kilometers of Japan’s coast.
More importantly, we called these consultations because with each test, each violation of UN Security Council resolutions, and there have been 22 of them so far this year, the DPRK demonstrates further advancement of its ballistic missile program. This launch, which I would note took place while China was hosting the G20 summit, once again shows the DPRK’s blatant disregard for its international obligations and its willingness to provoke and to threaten the international community with impunity.
The DPRK’s missile tests help it to threaten the territory of even more countries in the region, whether through its land-based missiles or now via its recently tested submarine-launched ballistic missiles. Once the DPRK has ability to do so, we know what they intend to do with these missile systems because they have told us. They are explicit. They intend to arm the systems with nuclear weapons. Kim Jong Un said this himself yesterday, according to the DPRK’s official news agency.
In the face of this continuing threat, we stand united with our stalwart allies, the Republic of Korea and Japan. Our partnership with the ROK and Japan goes far beyond cooperation on the DPRK threat. We work constructively on a host of global issues and we will continue to do so. The Security Council must remain unequivocal and united in condemnation of these tests, and we must take action to enforce the words we put on paper, to enforce our resolutions. And now, I will turn it over to my colleague, Ambassador Bessho.

 

Ambassador Koro Bessho: Thank you very much, Samantha. Ambassador Samantha Power came from the airport, in which she was leading the Security Council mission to South Sudan, she came back and she came straight back to the Council meeting to address this issue. I think this shows a great sense of solidarity on her part, a sense of the importance she attaches to this question. I’m very glad the three of us are standing together, which shows the solidarity between the three countries. At the same time, I felt very encouraged that in the Council meeting itself there was a much stronger show of unity. All members recognized these launches as blatant violations of the Security Council resolutions and other commitments by North Korea, and they all opposed and condemned the launch in a very strong term. I myself, certainly, for myself and for my country, condemn the fact that it was a launch that is of great concern to national security of Japan, but not just for Japan, but for the region and beyond, which was a launch without any prior notification to anybody, for through ICAO or through IMO, that is for planes or for the ships, and obviously within the EEZ, this is a possible fishing run, and we’re very glad that nobody was hurt, but still it is the very act which really should be condemned, and we hope the Security Council will be able to act unanimously, united, in condemning this act of utter disrespect for international law and for the resolutions of the Security Council. I am very glad the three of us are standing here, and would like to give the floor to Ambassador Hahn.

 

Ambassador Hahn Choong-hee: Thank you very much, the Republic of Korea very pleased to join together with Japan and United States in addressing this serious North Korean provocation, a threat to international peace and security. I have three points to make.
First point is that North Korea’s advancement of nuclear missile capability, if unchecked, will continue to pose a serious threat to the regional peace and security as well as to the non-proliferation regime. North Korea’s advancement of nuclear capability, together with and coupled with the missile capability, will pose a really serious challenge to the peace and security in this region. The recent series of launches of medium and long-range missiles by North Korea, like Nodong, and Musudan, and submarine launched ballistic missiles will hamper the peace and security of the region and beyond, and also change the geo-strategic landscape of this region.
Second point is that North Korea’s continued advancement of nuclear and missile capability will deteriorate the living condition of the North Korean people. The fact that the North Korean regime is using considerable amount of natural resources to the development of weapons of mass destruction will sacrifice the living condition and basic needs and humanitarian situation of the North Korean people. Their human dignity and human rights should be protected and preserved, because they are all human beings, like us. I believe the funds that the North Korean regime is using to develop weapons of mass destruction, which amounts to tens or hundreds of millions of dollars, should be used to save the tens of millions of people in North Korea. I’m not sure if currently in North Korea people can understand and remember the words like dream, hope or even future, in their daily life.
Third point is what we have to do. I think the international community should be united in sending a clear and unequivocal message to North Korea that if they continue to provoke and violate international commitment and obligations, they will face much stronger and significant counter-measures from the international community, and also we have to be untied to commit and reaffirm our pledge in implementing fully and completely the UN Security Council Resolution 2270. I think we should be all united to continue to work together to resolve North Korea’s nuclear and missile issues once and for all, which is a root cause of the threat and tension in the region and beyond. Thank you very much.

Question: Thank you very much, Ambassadors. Could you tell us what the reaction, especially of China, was and whether you expect a united response from the Security Council?

Ambassador Power: Thank you Edie, I think we would let China speak for itself, but we were able to come together as a Council to condemn the last launches in August, and I think we have every expectation that we will do so again. I would note that there were very strong and numerous voices in the council for doing more. And so, without getting ahead of the Council, we are also interested in increasing the consequences after this pattern of using these launches to advance the capabilities of the program.

Question: A series of Security Council press statements seem to have no effect on DPRK’s ballistic missile development so far. As a result, three of them fell into Japan’s exclusive economic zones. When will you take further significant measures? Can we expect another sanction will come soon?

Ambassador Bessho: Well, I think we should not prejudge what the Council does. The Council will be discussing what appropriate measures to take at an appropriate time, but if I speak for myself, we think it is necessary for us to think about what additional actions the Council can take in unanimity and unity about bringing about a change in the North Korean behavior.

Thank you very much.