UN Security Council slams DPRK submarine missile test

UNITED NATIONS - The UN Security Council on Sunday "strongly" condemned Saturday's submarine-launched ballistic missile test by the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK).

"This incident constituted yet another serious violation by the DPRK of United Nations Security Council resolutions 1718 (2006), 1874 (2009), 2087 (2013), 2094 (2013) and 2270 (2016)," the Security Council said in a statement issued to the press here. "The members of the Security Council emphasized that the DPRK's development and testing of new ballistic missile capabilities, even if launches are failures, is clearly prohibited by these resolutions."

The DPRK announced it has conducted a successful underwater test-fire of strategic submarine ballistic missile and the country's top leader Kim Jong-un guided the test-fire, the country's official news agency KCNA reported Sunday.

The test-fire aimed to "confirm the stability of the underwater ballistic launching system in the maximum depth of waters, flying kinetic feature under the vertical flight system of the ballistic missile powered by the newly developed high-power solid fuel engine, the reliability of the phased heat separation and the working accuracy of nuclear detonating device of the warhead."

This is the second time the DPRK's state-run media outlet has announced the success of the test-fire of a submarine-launched ballistic missile. On May 9, 2015, the KCNA reported that Kim Jong-un watched the test-fire of a newly developed submarine-launched ballistic missile and called it "a success as signal as satellite launch".

On April 15, the 15-nation UN council strongly condemned the firing of a ballistic missile by the DPRK earlier in the day.

The Security Council has adopted five resolutions to curb the DPRK's nuclear and missile programs. The latest one adopted in March imposes the most severe sanctions yet on the country, including an export ban and asset freeze.

"The members of the Security Council reiterated that the Democratic People's Republic of Korea shall refrain from further actions in violation of the relevant Security Council resolutions and comply fully with its obligations under these resolutions, including to suspend all activities related to its ballistic missile program and in this context reestablish its previous commitments to a moratorium on missile launches," said the statement.

In light of these recent violations, the members of the Security Council emphasized the importance of the work of the Security Council's Committee established pursuant to resolution 1718 (2006), and "urged all member states to redouble their efforts to implement the measures imposed in all relevant Security Council resolutions," the statement said.

While emphasizing the need to strengthen implementation of the measures imposed in resolution 2270 (2016), the Security Council reiterated the call on member states to report to it on concrete measures taken in order to implement effectively the provisions of that resolution, the statement said.

"The members of the Security Council reiterated the importance of maintaining peace and stability on the Korean Peninsula and in the North-East Asia at large, expressed their commitment to a peaceful, diplomatic and political solution to the situation and welcomed efforts by Council members as well as other States to facilitate a peaceful and comprehensive solution through dialogue," said the statement.

The council members agreed that the Security Council would continue to closely monitor the situation and take further significant measures in line with the Council's previously expressed determination.