DM Monitoring
PYONGYANG: North Korea said on Sunday the United Nations Security Council (UNSC) applied double standards over military activities among UN member states, state media said, amid international criticism over its recent missile tests.
The UNSC met behind closed doors on Friday upon requests from the United States and other countries over the North’s missile launches.
The meeting came a day after Pyongyang fired a newly developed anti-aircraft missile, the latest in a recent series of weapons tests including the launches of a previously unseen hypersonic missile, ballistic missiles and a cruise missile with potential nuclear capabilities.
Jo Chol Su, director of the North Korean foreign ministry’s Department of International Organisations, said the UNSC meeting means an “open ignorance of and wanton encroachment” on its sovereignty and “serious intolerable provocation”.
Jo accused the UNSC of double standards as it remains silent about US joint military exercises and weapons tests with allies, while taking issue with the North’s “self-defensive” activities.
“This is a denial of impartiality, objectivity and equilibrium, lifelines of the UN activities, and an evident manifestation of double-dealing standard,” Jo said in a statement carried by the official KCNA news agency.
Earlier on Friday, North Korea said it test-fired a new anti-aircraft missile on Thursday, its fourth weapons test in under a month. The latest test came days after North Korea launched a new hypersonic missile which is believed to have nuclear capabilities.
Secretary of State Anthony Blinken said the tests “create greater prospects for instability and insecurity”. Pyongyang said its weapons were needed for self-defence, accused the US and South Korea of “double standards”. The latest tests were being seen as a clear sign that Pyongyang has no intentions on slowing down its weapons development despite strict sanctions.
According to state news outlet KCNA, the new anti-aircraft missile showed “remarkable combat performance” and also included “new key technologies”. The test came a day after North Korean leader Kim Jong-un extended a conditional olive branch towards the South, saying he wanted to restore a vital communication hotline between them.
Mr Kim however, also accused the US of “touting ‘diplomatic engagement’ but it is no more than a petty trick for deceiving the international community and hiding its hostile acts”. Some analysts believe that is an indication that Pyongyang is keen to separate Washington and Seoul by pursuing communication with S. Korea but cutting off the US.
