Cease ‘destabilizing actions,’ NKorea told

PYONGYANG: Six countries, including the United States and Japan, on Monday (Tuesday in Manila) urged North Korea to cease “destabilizing actions” in a joint statement at the UN, after Pyongyang launched a missile last week.

France, Britain, Ireland and Albania joined the call for North Korea “to refrain from further destabilizing actions ... and engage in meaningful dialogue towards our shared goal of complete denuclearization.”

“These actions increase the risk of miscalculation and escalation and pose a significant threat to regional stability,” said US ambassador to the UN Linda Thomas-Greenfield, reading the joint statement ahead of a closed-door Security Council meeting on the missile launch.

“Each missile launch serves not only to advance the DPRK’s own capabilities but to expand the suite of weapons available for export to its illicit arms clients and dealers around the world,” she added, referring to the North by its official name, the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea.

No joint statement was expected at the end of the meeting, according to diplomats, as Russia and China are no longer in line with the West over North Korea since the unanimous passage in 2017 of three sets of economic sanctions against Pyongyang.

On Thursday, the state-run Korean Central News Agency (KCNA) said the missile fired on January 5 carried a “hypersonic gliding warhead” — the second reported test after a similar trial last September.

The United States and Japan were among those quick to condemn the launch, stating that it violated multiple Security Council resolutions and threatened global security.

Pyongyang has argued that the development of weapon technology is necessary to defend itself against a possible American invasion.