Japan, US, S. Korea eye emergency UNSC meeting on N. Korea

July 30, 2017

NEW YORK- Japan, the United States and South Korea have started talks on requesting the UN Security Council to hold an emergency meeting over North Korea's latest launch of an intercontinental ballistic missile, informed sources said Friday. Tokyo, Washington and Seoul are expected to urge the powerful UN organ to adopt a fresh sanctions resolution against North Korea at an early time, the sources said. North Korea fired the missile on Friday night local time, its second ICBM launch after the first one on July 4. In response to the first ICBM launch by the reclusive state, the Security Council held an emergency meeting on July 5. Japan, the United States and other countries are calling for a new sanctions resolution against North Korea. At the July 5 meeting, US Ambassador to the United Nations Nikki Haley suggested the possibility of proposing a ban on oil exports to North Korea and other sanctions measures. But the UN body is still continuing discussions as China and Russia are cautious about imposing additional measures against the country, sources familiar with the situation said. China is reluctant to take measures that could destabilize North Korea, according to the sources. Claiming that both missiles were medium-range ballistic missiles, Russia has sounded negative on strengthening sanctions against North Korea. As the US Senate passed a bill on Thursday to strengthen the country's sanctions against Russia after the House of Representatives approved it earlier this week, the confrontation between Washington and Moscow over North Korean issues may intensify, possibly negatively affecting Security Council discussions on a new resolution against Pyongyang, critics said. (Jiji Press)