The United Nations Security Council added additional sanctions on North Korea for its December 2012 launch on Tuesday and demanded an end to it nuclear and ballistic missile tests, the action brought a swift reaction from North Korea.
The North Korean Foreign Minister stated that the U.N. was acting as a Marionette of the United States and called the action a “self deception and the height of double standards.”
The Foreign Minister’s statement was read by an announcer in a North Korean radio broadcast.
North Korea also announced that they will reject any further dialogue about de-nuclearization and also announced plans to continue launches as well as bolster their military’s self-defense capabilities.
The international community has taken that statement to mean that there will be a third nuclear test by the impoverished and isolated country.
Two of North Korea’s neighbors, South Korea and Japan responded to North Korea’s announcement. South Korean Unification Ministry Spokewoman, Park Soo-jin said that her government regrets North Korea’s response and that North Korea must stop theatening international society.
Fumio Kishida, Japans Foreign Minister said that North Korea needed to refrain from provocative acts which include “including further launches and nuclear tests.” Japan also said that they would closely coordinate with the international community over their neighbor.
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On Thursday, South Korea and the United States are scheduled for a discussion. At that meeting their may be talks of additional sanctions against the government of North Korea.
The expanded and strengthened sanctions were accepted unanimously by the security council after China and the United States came to a deal behind closed doors.
The resolution passed yesterday called for additional travel bans and asset freezes on the officials responsible for the missile launch facility as well as the satellite control center. It also did the same for the banking official involved in the construction of the missile.
The resolution also called for stricter vessel inspection rules for vessels importing into North Korea.
This most recent resolution is but one of many that have been imposed on the North Korean government. This resolution adds to the sanctions imposed prior to the launch, and those sanctions were imposed because of North Korea’s defience in ignoring the previous sanctions put in place demanding that North Korea not conduct further nuclear and missile tests.
After scrutinizing the debris that came down in the Yellow Sea, the South Korean defense ministry says that North Korea now has the capability to build an ICBM with a 10,000 mile range. North Korea still does not posess the capability to build a miniturized nuclear payload to fit on that rocket however.