UN chief slams NKorea missile launch, says it risks 'significant escalation'

By Michael Hernandez

WASHINGTON (AA) - North Korea's launch of an apparent long-range ballistic missile risks "significant escalation of tensions in the region," UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres said on Thursday.

The UN chief strongly condemned the launch, calling it "another breach of the DPRK’s announced moratorium in 2018 on launches of this nature, and a clear violation of Security Council resolutions," spokesman Stephane Dujarric said in a statement.

"The Secretary-General urges the DPRK to desist from taking any further counter-productive actions," he said, using an acronym that refers to North Korea's formal name.

Guterres "reaffirms his commitment to working with all parties in seeking a peaceful diplomatic solution for the complete and verifiable denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula," added Dujarric.

The comments come after South Korea said earlier Thursday that the North fired an “unidentified projectile” toward the East Sea with Japan describing the projectile as a “new type of intercontinental ballistic missile.”

Japan’s Prime Minister Fumio Kishida blasted the missile launch as “reckless” and “unacceptable.”

Meanwhile, Kishida met US President Joe Biden on the sidelines of the G7 summit, said a White House official, adding that the two leaders condemned the launch of the missile.

Kishida and Biden "stressed the need for diplomacy, and agreed to continue working together to hold the North Korea accountable," the official said.

The latest launch came a week after Seoul claimed a North Korean ballistic missile failed to reach a certain altitude in its early boost phase.

The South Korean military said last week’s launch was part of earlier intercontinental ballistic missile tests by North Korea on Feb. 27 and March 5.

This year alone, North Korea has conducted more than 10 missile tests, including that of a newly developed hypersonic missile.

On March 11, South Korean officials claimed North Korea has started restoring tunnels at its nuclear site that were closed in 2018.

Some parts of the nuclear site were destroyed in the presence of foreign media ahead of North Korean leader Kim Jong-un’s first meeting with then-US President Donald Trump.

The development came after Kim threatened in January that the country will consider resuming “all temporally suspended” defense activities to bolster its defenses against the US.

He was apparently referring to Pyongyang’s self-imposed moratorium on nuclear and long-range missile testing, which has been in effect since 2017.

On March 10, the North Korean leader announced that the country will launch a number of reconnaissance satellites “to keep a close eye on” military actions by the US and its allies in the region.