Failed Satellite Launch Sparks Tensions: US and Allies Clash with North Korea, China, and Russia

The United States and its allies clashed with North Korea, Russia, and China on Friday over Pyongyang’s failed spy satellite launch attempts and who is to blame for escalating tensions on the Korean Peninsula.

The United States, Albania, Ecuador, France, Japan, and Malta convened the open Security Council meeting to denounce the attempted launch, which made use of outlawed ballistic missile technology, for the second time since 2017.

In July, Ambassador Kim Song told members that the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea — the country’s official name — has “an independent and legitimate right” as a sovereign country to launch a satellite for “self-defense to deter the ever-increasing hostile military acts of the United States and its followers.”

On Thursday, the North’s space agency reported that its reconnaissance satellite, Malligyong-1, failed to enter orbit for a second time, attributing the failure to an error in its third-stage flight.

Kim Jong Un’s top military objective, according to Pyongyang, will be pursued in October for the third time.

Linda Thomas-Greenfield, the U.S. ambassador, stated that the DPRK defied Security Council resolutions by continuing its illegal ballistic missile program.

She stated that 13 of the 15 Security Council members oppose the DPRK’s illegal actions and have called for an end to the country’s pursuit of nuclear weapons and its tests, as well as for the unity of the Security Council.

Song stated that the DPRK has never recognized Security Council resolutions, which infringe on “the rights of a sovereign state,” and will never be bound by them in the future.

He accused the United States and South Korea’s “military gangsters” of “turning the Korean Peninsula into a potential area of an immense thermal nuclear war” while agitating for regime change in the DPRK and conducting large-scale joint military exercises that, according to him, include “nuclear preemptive strikes on our state as a fait accompli.”

Vassily Nebenzia, Russia’s U.N. ambassador, described the council meeting as “a cynical, hypocritical attempt by the U.S. and its allies to increase pressure on Pyongyang and to divert attention from the reckless escalatory actions of Washington.

He called the expansion of U.S.-led military exercises “blatantly provocative,” saying they further complicate prospects for starting a dialogue, which is necessary to strengthen regional security.

China’s deputy U.N. ambassador Geng Shuang accused the United States of “a long-standing hostile policy towards the DPRK,” telling the council that Washington’s constant pressure, such as sending a nuclear-armed submarine to the peninsula in July, makes the North feel “increasingly insecure.”

He stated that the Security Council should not escalate tensions, but rather take action to address the DPRK’s legitimate concerns and create conditions for resuming negotiations.

Thomas-Greenfield, the U.S. ambassador, rejected “the disingenuous claims by Russia and China that the U.S. is acting in a hostile manner,” calling the military exercises routine, lawful and defensive.

“And unlike the DPRK’s ballistic missile launches, they are not prohibited by U.N. Security Council resolutions,” she said.

Thomas-Greenfield also reaffirmed the U.S. commitment to diplomacy, stating that the Biden administration has repeatedly urged the DPRK to engage in dialogue without preconditions. “But the DPRK has still not responded to our offers,” she said.

China’s Geng retorted that the military exercises are “at a record level,” citing the participation of US bombers and Marines as well as increased US sanctions against the DPRK.

North Korea’s Concerns Raised DPRK Expresses Outrage Over Japan’s Actions

The council meeting also saw a heated exchange between Japan, the DPRK, and China over Tokyo’s release of treated radioactive water from the tsunami-damaged Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant into the Pacific Ocean.

North Korea’s Song first raised the issue, saying the Security Council should denounce “Japan’s heinous crime against humanity,” which he said is jeopardizing the safety and security of all people and the marine ecological environment.

Japan’s U.N. Ambassador Kimihiro Ishikane rejected the “baseless allegations,” saying that scientific evidence has said the discharges are safe.

But China’s Geng, whose country has banned seafood from Japan, reiterated Beijing’s strong opposition, saying the discharge of “nuclear-contaminated water” into the ocean is “transferring the nuclear threat to the whole world.”

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Source: abc NEWS