After the recent missile test of North Korea, Germany, France and the UK demanded a meeting of the UN Security Council. The session behind closed doors should take place according to the will of the countries on Friday, it was said from diplomatic sources at the seat of the Uno in New York. The three European countries insist on maintaining political pressure on North Korea to prevent the authoritarian-led country from expanding its weapons program.
The leadership in Pyongyang had previously announced the test of a novel, allegedly submarine-based ballistic missile, after several short-range missiles were tested in recent weeks. Rockets fired from a submarine are harder to detect and destroy than enemies launched by land-based mobile launchers or fixed silos.
North Korea's state agency KCNA showed images of a rocket firing vertically out of the water. However, it was unclear whether the rocket was actually launched from a submarine. A tug boat nearby indicated that a "submersible launch platform" had been used for the SLBM test, wrote security expert Ankit Panda.
Criticism from many countries
The North Korean state media reported Thursday on a successful course of the test. The country has thus increased its military clout. Meanwhile, the State Department and the EU have appealed to North Korea to renounce provocation.
Japan's Prime Minister Shinzo Abe accused North Korea of violating UN resolutions banning the isolated country from ballistic missile testing. Such missiles can usually carry nuclear warheads and are therefore weapons of mass destruction.
Security expert Panda wrote on Twitter that the latest test was "undoubtedly the first test of a nuclear-capable rocket since November 2017".
One very obvious observation about tonight's missile test that is unambiguously the first test of a missile designed to deliver a strategic nuclear payload since November 28, 2017, test of the Hwasong-15. That's a big moment.
- Ankit Panda (@nktpnd) October 2, 2019Negotiations on denuclearization are on the spot
Because of its missile and nuclear program, Pyongyang has been sanctioned by the international community for years; The conflict over the North Korean nuclear program is considered one of the most dangerous in the world.
Donald Trump had broken with diplomatic practices and had become the first US president to direct talks with the North Korean leader Kim Jong Un met. However, negotiations on denuclearization in North Korea are stalling.
Trump said Thursday the talks would continue despite the recent missile test. At the weekend, further negotiations will be held at the working level in Stockholm.
