North Korea’s Missile Launch: Security Council’s Silence Is a Major Blunder

North Korea has launched a series of different short-range missiles since September.

On Oct. 19, it announced the deployment of a new type of submarine-launched ballistic missile.

This launch threatens the peace and security of the region, including Japan, and is totally unacceptable. The launch of missiles using ballistic technology violates United Nations Security Council policy and must be stopped immediately.

What is disturbing is that the Security Council, which should be leading the way, is not functioning as the “guardian of peace.” An emergency meeting was held on Oct. 20, but the council failed to issue any unanimous response.

The Security Council has called on North Korea to abandon its nuclear weapons and ballistic missiles and has imposed sanctions, including an embargo. If North Korea continues its outrageous behavior, the U.N must take further action.

If it fails to do so, North Korea, as well as other countries that threaten global peace and security, will no longer pay any attention to the Security Council.

Holding a meeting in the face of a clear violation of U.N. resolutions and failing to issue any response is tantamount to showing that the U.N. does not agree with world sentiment and is a major blunder.

The Security Council faces many issues as part of its weighty responsibilities, including Haiti, where the security situation has deteriorated drastically after the assassination of the president, as well as the situations in Myanmar and Afghanistan. We think that every member country should be aware of this.

One can blame the Security Council’s ineffective response to North Korea on the fact that China and Russia, permanent Security Council members, defend North Korea, but that is nothing new.

Yet when the U.N tightened sanctions beginning in 2016 from restrictions on people, goods, and money related to nuclear weapons and missiles to a general clampdown on foreign currency earnings, China and Russia accepted the sanctions, although negotiations were difficult and fraught.

It is inexplicable that China and Russia have not even agreed to issue a statement on the North Korea issue. As the confrontation between the U.S. and China intensifies, and if North Korea’s military provocations play into China’s hands, it will pose a major problem.

Against this backdrop, it is worrisome that the Biden administration has not made any significant effort to negotiate with North Korea. As time passes, North Korea is likely to increase its nuclear capability and gain an advantage in negotiations with the U.S.

The top priority is to ban any further missile provocations. Japan and other countries should act to eliminate North Korea’s weapons of mass destruction, including nuclear weapons and ballistic missiles, and also act to resolve the issue of North Korea's abduction of Japanese citizens.