US calls emergency UN Security Council meeting on North Korea as nuclear threat looms

North Korea has fired missiles 15 times so far this year, including an apparent demonstration on Saturday of a submarine-launched ballistic missile system

The US has circulated a draft resolution seeking additional sanctions on Pyongyang for its spate of tests. But Russia and China want existing sanctions eased

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A United Nations Security Council meeting held in February at the United Nations headquarters in New York City. Photo: AFP

Published: 1:02pm, 10 May 2022Updated: 1:43pm, 10 May 2022

The United States has scheduled an emergency meeting of the UN Security Council on Wednesday following North Korea’s latest test of a ballistic missile that was likely fired from a submarine as it presses for new sanctions on the reclusive northeast Asian nation.

The test was the latest sign of North Korean leader Kim Jong-un carrying out a recent vow to speed up development of nuclear weapons.

The US holds the rotating presidency of the council this month and set the open meeting for Wednesday afternoon to discuss the North’s latest launches, a spokesperson for the US Mission to the UN said Monday, speaking on condition of anonymity ahead of an official announcement.

Suspected submarine-launched ballistic missiles are seen at a military parade in Pyongyang in January. Photo: AFP

“The DPRK continues to destabilise the region and threaten international peace and security through its missile launches,” the spokesperson said, using the initials of the North’s official name, the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea.

So far this year, North Korea has fired missiles 15 times. They include the country’s first test of an intercontinental ballistic missile since 2017 in March that demonstrated a potential range to reach the entirety of the US mainland.

The launch on Saturday was apparently North Korea’s first demonstration of a submarine-launched ballistic missile system since October 2021, when it fired a new short-range missile.

The latest launch came just ahead of the inauguration on Tuesday of South Korean President-elect Yoon Suk-yeol, who has vowed to take a tougher approach over the North’s nuclear ambitions.

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