US urges UN Security Council to tighten sanctions on North Korea

WASHINGTON

The US called on the UN Security Council to tighten the screws on North Korea on Friday after it test fired a weapon believed to be an intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM).

Linda Thomas-Greenfield, Washington’s envoy to the UN, appealed directly to the 15-member council, saying the US hopes Pyongyang accepts renewed talks over its nuclear and missile programs, but said “we also cannot stand idly by” in the face of repeated violations of existing Security Council resolutions that prohibit the North from testing ballistic missiles and nuclear weapons.

Thomas-Greenfield said the threats posed by Pyongyang’s new weapons systems extend to virtually “every UN member state.”

“It is clear that the DPRK has escalated its provocations with impunity while the council has remained silent. And it is clear that remaining silent in the hope that the DPRK will similarly show restraint is a failed strategy,” she said.

“We must pivot to a successful one. The Security Council must speak publicly and with one voice to condemn the DPRK’s unlawful actions, and encourage the DPRK to return to the negotiating table,” she said.

That includes the US’s forthcoming introduction of a draft resolution to update and strengthen existing UN sanctions on the North. Thomas-Greenfield pointed to a past Security Council resolution that was adopted unanimously, which called for further action in the event of a North Korean ICBM launch.

Earlier Friday, the North confirmed it tested-fired a "new type" of ICBM towards the East Sea on March 24, state-run media reported.

The test has been roundly condemned by UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres, who called it a “clear violation” of existing Security Council resolutions.