South Korea calls on divided UN council ‘to break the silence’ on North Korea’s tests and threats

By EDITH M. LEDERER
Associated Press

UNITED NATIONS (AP) — South Korea is calling on the divided U.N. Security Council “to break the silence” over North Korea’s escalating missile tests and threats. The council has imposed 10 sanctions in total that have sought unsuccessfully to curb North Korea’s nuclear and ballistic missile programs. But Russia and China have blocked any council action on the North since May 2022. The council held an emergency closed meeting Thursday about the North’s first ballistic missile test of 2024. Before the meeting, U.S. deputy ambassador Robert Wood told reporters the North’s provocations “are of great concern.” But China’s U.N. Ambassador Zhang Jun called on all parties “to stay calm” in an allusion to the U.S. and South Korea.