The spokesperson for the United States UN mission said on Thursday (June 1) that the US has called for United Nations Security Council (UNSC) meeting on Friday (June 2) over North Korea’s attempted satellite launch this week. Wednesday’s attempt from North Korea was its latest to put its first spy satellite into space. However, the attempt was a failure. The booster and the payload crashed into the sea.
The launch was condemned by the US saying that ballistic missile technology was used which in itself was a violation of multiple UNSC resolutions. The US also said that the attempted launch risked destabilising ths security situation in the Korean Peninsula and beyond.
Watch | North Korea’s spy satellite mission fails as rocket plunges into sea
The US has called for an open meeting on the launch, said Nate Evans, spokesperson for the US mission to the UN. An open meeting would mean that the proceedings would be streamed live.
Another UN diplomat said the call was made jointly with Albania, Ecuador, France, Japan, Malta and Britain.
Kim Yo Jong, sister of North Korean leader Kim Jong Un, said after the failed launch that the country will soon put a spy satellite into orbit. She vowed that North Korea would boost its military surveillance capabilities.
She also said global criticism of the launch was “self-contradiction” as the US and other coutries across the world had already launched “thousands of satellites.”
“North Korea’s dangerous and destabilising nuclear and missile programs threaten peace and stability in the region,” said US Defence Secretary Lloyd Austin. He was speaking in Tokyo.
UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres said any launch by Pyongyang using ballistic missile technology breaches Security Council resolutions, a spokesperson said.
The mayhem
The attempted satellite launch from North Korea caused quite a flurry in the region. Air raid sirens began blaring in South Korean capital of Seoul. The citizens were sent a text message by the authorities to prepare for evacuation.
The Japanese government’s official Twitter handles said that a ‘ballistic missile’ had been launched. The government also said that the missiles is likely to ‘possibly land in the area around Okinawa’.
The alerts were taken back afterwards. The authorities in Seoul too, subsequently said that the warning for evacuation was incorrectly issued.
(With inputs from agencies)
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