The UN Security Council Condemns North Korea's Missile Launch Over Japan

On Tuesday, September 7, the United Nations Security Council issued a statement strongly condemning North Korea's ballistic missile launch over Japan. The official North Korean news agency reported that this missile test was a response to the joint military exercises conducted by the United States and South Korea. According to Reuters, the Security Council has urged Pyongyang to refrain from any new missile tests. The 15 members of the UN Security Council stated that immediate and tangible actions by North Korea to reduce tensions are of 'vital importance.' The members also called on all countries to enforce sanctions against North Korea. However, the Security Council reaffirmed its commitment to a 'peaceful, diplomatic, and political solution' to the North Korean missile and nuclear crisis. Meanwhile, Nikki Haley, the U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations, has called for serious actions against North Korea. Haley told reporters regarding North Korea's recent missile test: 'This is unacceptable. They have violated all Security Council resolutions. Therefore, I think something serious needs to happen.' On the other hand, the official North Korean news agency reported early Wednesday that Kim Jong Un, the country's leader, was present at the test of a medium-range ballistic missile 'Hwasong-12' on Tuesday, which was a response to the joint military exercises by the U.S. and South Korea. According to the North Korean news agency, Kim Jong Un stated: 'The current ballistic missile test is like a real war, the first step of the military operations of the Democratic People's Republic of Korea in the Pacific and a meaningful prelude to Guam.' According to Reuters, North Korea had threatened earlier this month to target Guam with four missiles. In response, U.S. President Donald Trump warned that North Korea would face 'fire and fury' if it continued to threaten the U.S. On Tuesday, North Korea tested a medium-range ballistic missile 'Hwasong-12' that landed in the North Pacific after passing over Japan. Trump stated on Tuesday that the world received the message of North Korea's missile test loud and clear. The U.S. President emphasized in a statement: 'Threatening and destabilizing actions will only lead to further isolation of the North Korean regime in the region and internationally. All options are on the table.' North Korea conducted this missile test on the same day that the U.S. and South Korea were holding their annual military exercises. Reuters reports that this exercise has provoked North Korea's anger as it perceives such drills as preparations for an attack against it. In recent years, North Korea has conducted numerous missile tests while ignoring Security Council resolutions, but a missile test that passes over Japanese territory is considered an 'unprecedented' and 'provocative' act. It is reported that the medium-range ballistic missile 'Hwasong-12,' which was launched from the Sanan area near Pyongyang, the capital of North Korea, flew 2,700 kilometers and reached an altitude of 550 kilometers.