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8137th Security Council Meeting: Situation in Democratic People's Republic of Korea
The risk of an accidental escalation of tensions leading to conflict was being multiplied by misplaced overconfidence, dangerous narratives and rhetoric, as well as a lack of communication channels, United Nations Secretary-General António Guterres told the Security Council today.
Briefing Council members on non-proliferation/Democratic People’s Republic of Korea, he emphasized that it was time for the immediate re-establishment and strengthening of communications channels, including inter-Korean and military-to- military ones, so as to lower the risk of miscalculation or misunderstanding.
“Any military action would have devastating and unpredictable consequences,” he stressed. “Diplomatic engagement is the only pathway to sustainable peace and denuclearization,” he added, stressing: “We must do everything we can to reach that objective and avoid a level of danger that would be unpredictable in its trajectory and catastrophic in its consequences.”
Underlining the essential role of Council unity in achieving denuclearization, he said it would help to create the space for diplomatic initiatives aimed at realizing that goal in a peaceful manner. “The Secretariat and I are your partner in this effort,” he said, adding: “My good offices are available”. The Secretariat brought impartiality and the norms of peaceful resolution, in accordance with international law, as well as channels of communication with all parties to narrow differences and encourage confidence.
After a year of blatant disregard for the will and resolutions of the Council through accelerated testing of nuclear weapons and long-range missiles, he continued, the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea had heightened tensions, he said, reiterating his call for that country’s leadership to comply with resolutions and “allow space for the resumption of dialogue on denuclearization and sustainable peace on the Korean Peninsula”.
Reiterating the importance of disassociating the security situation from the humanitarian imperative, he confirmed the severity of the food insecurity crisis in the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea, noting that humanitarian appeals were only 30 per cent funded. He appealed to all Member States to “carefully consider the humanitarian principles that underpin our work” and demonstrate their generosity to that country’s people.
Council members echoed the Secretary-General’s call for unity and avoidance of military conflict, while also expressing sympathy for the plight of the citizens of the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea. Most delegates stressed the severity of the threat posed by that country in light of its continued flouting of Council resolutions, its accelerated development of dangerous weapons and its bellicose rhetoric.
Japan’s Minister for Foreign Affairs said that the launch of a missile in November had made it clear that Pyongyang was not interested in returning to meaningful dialogue, which could only resume if the regime demonstrated signs of reversing its current course. Given its provocations, including the abduction of Japanese citizens, pressure on Pyongyang must be maximized through full implementation of the existing sanctions and severing diplomatic ties, he said. “Let us send a clear and unified message together here that the international community will never accept a nuclear-armed [Democratic People’s Republic of Korea].”
The Secretary of State of the United States also said a nuclear [Democratic People’s Republic of Korea] was unacceptable, calling for further unilateral action and appealing to China and the Russian Federation to increase pressure on Pyongyang. He also objected to the Russian Federation’s use of labourers from the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea in conditions resembling slavery. Urging all nations to join efforts to achieve complete and verifiable denuclearization on the Korean Peninsula, he emphasized that all his country’s options for countering the threat were on the table. The United States did not seek or want war and hoped that pressure and diplomacy would produce a resolution, he said. He added that continuing to allow labourers from the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea to toil in conditions resembling slavery inside the Russian Federation called Moscow’s commitment to peace into question.
Representatives of China, Russian Federation and Bolivia underlined the need to understand that the sanctions had been imposed in order to spark negotiations, and were not an end in themselves. All parties must seek to reduce tensions in order for negotiations to succeed. They expressed support for the China-Russian Federation road map entailing Pyongyang’s suspension of nuclear-weapons development, accompanied by the suspension of large-scale military exercises by the United States and others. They added that the imposition of unilateral sanctions undermined Council actions, while warning that there was no military solution to the situation.
China’s representative called for an end to provocative rhetoric and actions on all sides by all parties, urging calm, restraint and the creation of the conditions for turning the situation around. China had implemented the Council sanctions comprehensively, paying a higher price than any other States for its compliance, and no one should cast doubt on its actions, he emphasized, calling on all parties to abandon the “cold war thinking” that hung over the issue.
The Russian Federation’s representative rejected the image of slavery evoked by the Secretary of State of the United States, saying that the “most dramatic situation” before the Council was exacerbated by military exercises and confrontational rhetoric. Taunts could lead to irreversible consequences, he warned.
Following statements by Council members, the representative of the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea described today’s meeting as nothing but a desperate measure plotted by the United States, which was terrified by his country’s “incredible might”, and was pouring astronomical sums into modernizing its nuclear arsenal. Japan also sought to produce such armaments, he added. In that context, Pyongyang’s possession of nuclear weapons was a self-defence measure intended to protect national sovereignty, he said, explaining that it was for that reason that his country had justifiably withdrawn from the Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons.
The Republic of Korea’s representative said the international community must uphold its principles while firmly responding to Pyongyang’s reckless behaviour. At the same time, the doors to dialogue and peace should not be shut, he emphasized, urging the neighbouring country to join the 2018 PyeongChang Winter Olympic Games. The event should be considered an “Olympics for peace”, he said, urging Pyongyang to seize that opportunity for dialogue.
Also speaking today were foreign ministers and other representatives of Sweden, Ukraine, United Kingdom, Egypt, France, Ethiopia, Kazakhstan, Uruguay, Senegal and Italy.
Taking the floor a second time were speakers representing Ukraine, Russian Federation, United States, Japan and the Republic of Korea.
The meeting began at 10:20 a.m. and ended at 12:37 p.m.
