France: Security Council "Concerned" About the "Major Threat" Posed by North Korean Missiles

The United Nations Security Council held an urgent closed meeting on Wednesday to discuss North Korea's recent ballistic missile test, which member countries regarded as a "major threat," according to the French ambassador. Previously, meetings of this kind typically concluded with a joint statement from European members of the Security Council. Wednesday's meeting was called by Estonia and France. However, French Ambassador to the UN Nicolas de Rivière confirmed that there was consensus among the group. He stated, "We all agreed to condemn what happened, the tests," adding in remarks to reporters after the 45-minute meeting, "Everyone is very concerned about this situation." He continued, "It is a major threat to security and peace, a clear violation of Security Council resolutions," announcing that the missiles fell "within Japan's exclusive economic zone." He asserted, "We certainly need political dialogue, a political solution, but the prerequisite is North Korea's commitment to Security Council resolutions." He considered the test a "threat to the system of non-proliferation, a threat to the world, and a threat to North Korea's neighbors: South Korea and Japan." A joint statement from the Security Council was not expected, he said. He clarified, "We fully understand the concerns in this region and urge North Korea to commit to and resume discussions." In a statement issued from London, the British Foreign Office condemned the test, labeling it a "clear violation" of Security Council resolutions and a "threat to regional peace and security." The British statement added, "We urge North Korea to refrain from further provocations and return to dialogue with the United States." Earlier on Wednesday, South Korea launched a ballistic missile from a submarine while North Korea fired two ballistic missiles from the sea, in what appeared to be an arms race between the two technically still-at-war nations. South Korea is not bound by resolutions preventing it from conducting ballistic missile launch tests, according to UN diplomatic sources, unlike North Korea, which is under severe economic sanctions, especially since 2017, as the international community seeks to curb Pyongyang's ballistic and nuclear weapon programs.