UN Security Council slams NKorean missile launches

The Security Council condemned North Korea's weekend missile launches as a violation of UN resolutions as well as a threat to regional and international security.

Ugandan Ambassador Ruhakana Rugunda, who chairs the 15-member body this month, said that members "condemned and expressed grave concern" over Saturday's North Korean ballistic missile launches.

The launches "constitute a violation of UN Security Council resolutions and pose a threat to regional and international security," he said in a relatively mild, non-binding statement.

Council members reiterated that Pyongyang "must comply fully with its obligations and relevant resolutions" and appealed to "all parties to refrain from any action that would aggravate the security situation in the region."

They also expressed their commitment to "a peaceful, diplomatic and political solution" and vowed "to continue to closely monitor the situation and act as appropriate in accordance to the UN Charter."

Japanese Ambassador Yukio Takasu, whose country feels most threatened by Pyongyang's nuclear and ballistic missile programs and who had requested the council meeting, immediately welcomed the statement.

During the council debate, some members underscored the need to maintain pressure on the Stalinist state while others argued that "diplomacy should be given an opportunity to find a solution" and that the (latest) provocative action (by Pyongyang) should not lead to any escalation from other countries," he added.

The ballistic missiles -- which the Stalinist state is banned from firing under UN resolutions -- were launched into the Sea of Japan in an act of defiance apparently timed for the US Independence Day holiday.

It was the biggest salvo of ballistic weaponry since the North fired a long-range Taepodong-2 and six smaller missiles in 2006, also on July 4.

The launches came as Washington seeks support for tough enforcement of UN sanctions aimed at shutting down Pyongyang's nuclear and missile programs.

Sunday, North Korea's ruling party newspaper Rodong Sinmun praised Pyongyang's "army-first policy," which gave North Korea the capacity to hit enemies with what it called a "merciless" strike.

But US Vice President Joseph Biden on Sunday dismissed the firings as "almost attention-seeking behavior" and said the focus was on further isolating Pyongyang.

Last month, the Security Council slapped new sanctions against North Korea, banning all weapons exports from the country and the import of all but small arms.

Reacting to North Korea's second underground nuclear test in May, the council also called on all members of the international community to stop and search North Korean ships for weapons.

In a related development, the US chief of naval operations Monday denounced the latest North Korean missile launches and vowed to keep tracking its ships if they are suspected of carrying banned weapons.

"I think they were very unhelpful, and clearly counter to the desires of the international community for a peaceful and stable region," Admiral Gary Roughead told reporters in Seoul after talks with South Korean military officials.

"As circumstances arise in the future, we will continue to support the resolution and we will conduct operations in support of that."

His comments came as a North Korean ship being tracked by the US Navy for two weeks headed home after aborting its voyage.

The Kang Nam 1 was the first ship to be shadowed under new UN sanctions imposed on the hardline communist country on June 12 following its nuclear test in May.

South Korean military officials said the Kang Nam 1 appeared to have entered North Korean waters. The ship, which left North Korea on June 17, was originally reported to be bound for Myanmar.

Pyongyang has responded defiantly to the latest sanctions, vowing to build more nuclear bombs and to hit back against any attempt to search its vessels.

US and South Korean officials believe ailing leader Kim Jong-Il, 67, is staging a show of strength to bolster his authority as he tries to put in place a succession plan involving his youngest son Jong-Un.