South Korea calls for joint response to North

South Korea has called for a joint international response to North Korea’s suspected use of the banned VX nerve agent in the murder of Kim Jongnam on Feb 13.

The call was made by South Korea’s Deputy Minister for Multilateral and Global Affairs, Choi Jong-moon, at the Organisation for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons (OPCW) Executive Council’s 84th session at The Hague, Netherlands.

South Korea’s Foreign Ministry yesterday said Choi had stressed that the international community, including OPCW member states, should respond actively to the use of VX, as well as other issues that threatened the foundation of the Chemical Weapons Convention (CWC).

“He called on the international community to pay attention and respond resolutely to the gravity of North Korea’s chemical weapons development, which has been overshadowed by its nuclear and missile programmes.

“The deputy minister asked the OPCW director-general and the United Nations secretarygeneral to send to North Korea a joint letter urging it to join the CWC; and the OPCW Executive Council to adopt a decision condemning the use of the VX nerve agent and thereby send to North Korea a strong message that it will not accept the use of chemical weapons,” said the statement published on the ministry’s website.

Choi had also suggested that the OPCW Executive Council held a special meeting to discuss follow-up measures after Malaysia released final investigation results.