S. Korean envoy lambasts N. Korean nuclear, missile programs

WASHINGTON, March 18 (Yonhap) -- South Korea's top envoy at the U.N. upbraided North Korea for doubling down on its nuclear and missile programs on Monday, portraying the recalcitrant regime as the "world's preeminent proliferator." Ambassador Hwang Joon-kook issued sharp criticism at the North during a U.N. Security Council (UNSC) briefing on nuclear disarmament and non-proliferation, as tensions flared anew on the Korean Peninsula due to Pyongyang's launch of short-range ballistic missiles on Monday morning (Korea time). "The prospect of non-proliferation is no less bleak. Indeed, the DPRK, the world's preeminent proliferator, continues to blatantly violate multiple Security Council resolutions and develop its nuclear and missile programs," Hwang said. DPRK stands for the North's official name, the Democratic People's Republic of Korea. "While we are discussing non-proliferation at this chamber, the DPRK continues its provocations, including yesterday's launches of multiple ballistic missiles, supposedl y targeting densely populated areas and key military installations of my country," he added. Hwang also pointed out that the North plans to launch three more military reconnaissance satellites this year using ballistic missile technology, and provided ballistic missiles to Russia in breach of UNSC resolutions. He, moreover, voiced concerns over Pyongyang's aggressive nuclear policy and its tough rhetoric against Seoul. "Pyongyang now has markedly low threshold for using nuclear weapons," he said. "Its aggressive nuclear policy even allows for preemptive strikes against the Republic of Korea, which Kim Jong-un declared as 'a principal foreign enemy state.'" Noting that the "hard fought" and "hard won" architecture for global non-proliferation appears to be being challenged "more than ever before," Hwang made a thinly veiled criticism of Russia and China. "We hear precarious and irresponsible nuclear rhetoric amid Russia's war of aggression on Ukraine. Russia's tactical nuclear weapons are now deployed in Belarus and its CTBT ratification was withdrawn," he said. CTBT stands for the Comprehensive Nuclear-Test-Ban Treaty. "In another part of the world, rapid and opaque nuclear buildup under the guise of 'modernization' is being reported, while genuine dialogue for disarmament is turned away," he added. All of these developments have decreased the level of confidence on the nuclear weapon states' commitment to disarmament, the ambassador stressed. Against this backdrop, Hwang underscored that the Security Council should stand "at the very forefront" of addressing complex global challenges, and that it has to ensure that all sanctions resolutions are fully implemented. "Through its resolutions and sanctions regimes, the Council must respond to violations of non-proliferation obligations," he said. He also warned, "As a legal maxim goes, impunity always leads to greater violations." Source: Yonhap News Agency